Who is funding the terrorist? Who made them wealthy? (Hint, those who buy petrol sold by the Saudi family)
Fascinating article from der Spiegel about the Saudi elite, Bin Laden family, and the documented story of al-Qaida
Excerpted:
MEET THE BIN LADENS
Osama's Road to Riches and Terror
By Georg Mascolo and Erich Follath
The Bin Laden family disowned black sheep Osama in 1994. But have they really broken with the mega-terrorist? Recently revealed classified documents seem to suggest otherwise.
Osama's violent career has been made possible in part by the generosity of his family -- and by his contacts with the Saudi royals.
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Vincent Cannistraro, former head of counterterrorism for the CIA, says, "I tracked the bin Ladens for years. Many family members claimed that Osama was no longer one of them. It's an easy thing to say, but blood is usually thicker than water."
Carmen bin Laden, a sister-in-law of the terrorist, who lived with the extended family in Jeddah for years, says,
"I absolutely do not believe that the bin Ladens disowned Osama. In this family, a brother is always a brother, no matter what he has done. I am convinced that the complex and tightly woven network between the bin Laden clan and the Saudi royal family is still in operation."
French documentary filmmaker Joël Soler even goes so far as to refer to the family as "A Dynasty of Terror," in his somewhat speculative made-for-TV piece.
But could this really be possible? Are the bin Ladens (or "Binladins," as they more commonly spell it), with their 25 brothers, 29 sisters, in-laws, aunts and, by now, at least 15 children of Osama, nothing but a clan of terrorists?
American celebrity attorney Ron Motley plans to file a lawsuit against alleged Saudi backers of al-Qaida on behalf of hundreds of families who lost relatives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
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Jeddah is the place where the clan's founding father began his astonishing career. And it's also the place where the first family member became connected with Islamic terrorism -- not Osama, but his older brother, Mahrus bin Laden.
US authorities have also clearly linked another member of the clan, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, who is married to one of Osama's sisters, to terrorist attacks abroad.(continued..)
Continued, excerpted:
In 1990, after his triumph in Afghanistan, OBL offered the Saudi royal family the use of his troops to battle Saddam Hussein, whose forces had invaded Kuwait. But King Fahd decided instead to bring in American forces.
The decision proved to be a financial coup for the family business, which helped build military bases for the outsiders, but it was turning point in Osama's life.
Embittered, he went to Sudan in 1992, where he built training camps and organized attacks with his al-Qaida group, especially against "infidels" from the United States.
He also made sure that the planning of terrorist activities remained in the family.
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"...an experienced intelligence expert, doubts that the entire bin Laden family has severed ties with Osama: "I haven't seen anything in the last 10 years that's convinced me that would be the case." (continued...)
Thank you Lucy for this article...
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,359690,00.html
"MEET THE BIN LADENS
Osama's Road to Riches and Terror"
By Georg Mascolo and Erich Follath
June 6, 2005
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2005/06/006599print.html
June 11, 2005
"Osama's Road to Riches and Terror"