Osama Bin Laden

Mastermind
Osama bin Laden, seen here in 1988, is the leader of Al-Qaeda, a jihadist terrorist organization bent on ending western, especially American, influence on Muslim countries and the elimination of Israel. It seeks the creation of a new Islamic caliphate, a system of rule by Islamic law under a holy leader, across the Islamic world. "The terrorism we practice," he says, "is of the commendable kind for it is directed at the tyrants and the aggressors and the enemies of Allah ..."

Roots
Bin Laden was born in 1957, reportedly the 17th of the 57 children of Mohammed bin Laden, the owner of the largest construction company in Saudi Arabia. He was raised under conservative Wahhabi tenets, and, while enrolled at King Abdel Aziz University in Jidda, developed a belief in pan-Islamicism, a philosophy that stresses a united, Islamic world.

Jihad
In the late 1970s, after Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union, bin Laden traveled to the country to raise money for the Mujaheddin. Through his family connections he was able to deliver heavy equipment — used to build roads, tunnels and training camps — to the Mujahaddin. Exiled from his native country for criticizing the Saudi King — for allowing US troops to stay in the Kingdom — bin Laden remained in Afghanistan, where he created his own training camp and, with the help of his former college professor Abdullah Azzam, founded al-Qaeda, meaning "solid base", to offer religious training to the Mujaheddin.

Study
Shortly after the embassy bombings bin Laden said, "If the instigation for jihad against the Jews and the Americans in order to liberate al-Aksa Mosque and the Holy Ka'aba is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal."

In Hiding
Since the attacks of 9/11, it is believed that bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, have hidden in the mountains along the Afghanistan - Pakistan border.

Fleeting
Periodically, bin Laden releases audio recordings. In his most recent taped message, released in March, 2009, bin Laden urged the overthrow of the government in Somalia. "He (President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed) must be dethroned and fought," bin Laden said. "These sorts of presidents are the surrogates of our enemies and their authority is null and void."

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