Osamma Bin Laden History

Oussama Ben Laden rose from obscurity to become one of the world's best-known terrorists and one of the United States' most wanted terrorists.[i] According to the FBI, Ben Laden is wanted for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi that killed more than 200 people, in addition to his suspected role in other terrorist attacks around the world.[ii] Many believe that he was behind the 9/11 attacks, although there is little to substantiate that assumption. The FBI, in fact, makes no mention of the 9/11 attacks on its Most Wanted poster for ben Laden, asserting that "the FBI has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11."[iii] Moreover, Middle Eastern scholar Professor Shibley Telhani of the University of Maryland suggests that "Bin Laden is a true believer and a funder of Islamic causes, rather than a planner and active participant."[iv]

Whether or not Ben Laden was the mastermind behind 9/11 remains to be proven, but one thing is clear-he wields tremendous influence in the Islamic terrorist world and has the resources to exert that influence against the United States if he chooses. Ben Laden has been elusive, and substantiating his involvement has proven difficult. This paper discusses his background and explores the extent to which he may be involved.

Oussama Ben Laden was born in Saudi Arabia in 1957 of an illiterate laborer who nevertheless lev

Category: History - O