The Binladin family ( ar, عائلة بن لادن, ) is an Arab family intimately connected with the innermost circles of the

Saudi royal family The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...

. It is the namesake and controlling shareholder of

Saudi Binladin Group Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) is a Saudi construction company headquartered in Jeddah, Hejaz. It is the largest construction company of the Middle East. The company is owned primarily by the Bin Laden family. Founded by Muhammad Binladin in 1931, ...

, a multinational construction firm. The family is a sub-clan of the historical Kinda tribe. Following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

, the family became the subject of media attention and scrutiny through the activities of

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

, the former head of the terrorist group

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

Beginnings

The family traces its origins to Awad bin Laden from the village of al-Rubat, in the Wadi Doan of the Tarim Valley, Hadramout governorate,

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

. Awad's son was

Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden Muhammad Binladin ( ar, محمد بن لادن, translit=Muḥammad Binlādin; – 3 September 1967) was a Saudi tycoon who founded the Saudi Binladin Group. He worked primarily in the construction industry and became the wealthiest non-royal S ...

(1908-1967). Mohammed bin Laden was a native of the

Shafi'i The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...

(

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

)

Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ar, حَضْرَمَوْتُ \ حَضْرَمُوتُ, Ḥaḍramawt / Ḥaḍramūt; Hadramautic: 𐩢𐩳𐩧𐩣𐩩, ''Ḥḍrmt'') is a region in South Arabia, comprising eastern Yemen, parts of western Oman and southern Sau ...

coast in southern

, and emigrated to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He set up a construction company and came to Abdul Aziz ibn Saud's attention through

construction project Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and come ...

s, later being awarded contracts for major renovations in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

. He made his initial fortune from exclusive rights to construct all mosques and other religious buildings not only in Saudi Arabia, but as far as Ibn Saud's influence reached. Until his death,

had exclusive control over restorations at the Jami Al-Aqsa in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Soon, the bin Laden corporate network extended far beyond construction sites. Mohammed's special intimacy with the monarchy was inherited by the younger bin Laden generation. Mohammed's sons attended

Victoria College, Alexandria Victoria College, Alexandria, ( ar, كلية فيكتوريا) was founded in 1902 under the impetus of the recently ennobled Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer of the Barings Bank, that was heavily invested in Egyptian stability. For years the Br ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Their schoolmates included King

Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of ...

, Zaid Al Rifai, the Kashoggi brothers (whose father was one of the king's physicians),

Kamal Adham Kamal Adham ( ar, كمال ابراهيم ادهم; 1929 – 29 October 1999) was a Saudi businessman and the director general of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah from 1965 to 1979. He served as a royal counsellor to both King Faisal and King Khalid. ...

(who ran the General Intelligence Directorate under King Faisal), present-day contractors

Mohammed Al Attas Mohammed Omar Zain Mohsen Al-Attas ( ar, محمد عمر زين محسن العطاس, born 5 August 1997) is an Emirati soccer player who plays for Al Jazira as a centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield po ...

, Fahd Shobokshi, Ghassan Sakr, and actor

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

. When Mohammed bin Laden died in 1967, his son

Salem bin Laden Salem bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, سالم بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن) (4 January 1946 – 29 May 1988) was a Saudi Arabian investor and businessman. Life Considered the eldest son of Mohammed bin Laden, he was the founde ...

took over the family enterprises, until his own accidental death in 1988.

Family members

American and European intelligence officials estimate that all the relatives of the family may number as many as 600. In 1994, the bin Laden family disowned

, and the Saudi government revoked his passport.bin Laden, Osama.
''The History Channel website.'' Retrieved on 8 April 2007. The Saudi government also stripped Osama of his

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

for publicly speaking out against the government for permitting U.S. troops to be based in Saudi Arabia in preparation for the 1991

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. The groupings of the bin Laden family, based on the nationalities of the wives, include the most prominent "

Saudi Saudi may refer to: * Saudi Arabia * Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia * Saudi culture, the culture of Saudi Arabia * House of Saud The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is c ...

group", a "

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n group", a " Lebanese group," and an "

ian group". The Egyptian group employs 40,000 people, most likely the country's largest private foreign investor.

was born the only son of Muhammed bin Laden's eleventh wife,

Hamida al-Attas Hamida al-Attas ( ar, حميدة العطاس, translit=Ḥamīda al-Aṭṭās; born A'liyya Ghanim; ar, عالية غانم, translit='Ā'liyya Ghānim; , is the mother of the deceased al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. Biography Hamida al-At ...

, who was of Syrian origin, making Osama a member of the Syrian group.

First generation

(1908–1967) was the family patriarch and founder; before World War I, Mohammed, originally poor and uneducated, emigrated from

, on the south coast of Yemen, to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

port of

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's promi ...

, where he began to work as a porter. Starting his own business in 1930, Mohammed built his fortune as a building contractor for the Saudi royal family during the 1950s. Married 22 times, with 54 children, his 17th child was

, who was the son of Hamida al-Attas (born in Syria), Mohammed's eleventh wife. The couple divorced soon after Osama was born, and Hamida was given in marriage to one of the executives of Mohammed's company around 1958. In 1967, Mohammed was killed in an airplane crash in Saudi Arabia when his pilot misjudged a landing. * Muhammad al-Attas is Osama's stepfather in whose household Osama was raised at Jeddah, and worked at the bin Laden company. The couple had four children in addition to Osama: three boys and a girl, Fatima Mohammed al-Attas. *Abdallah bin Laden is the brother of Mohammed and the uncle of Osama; headed the

(SBG); died in Medina, March 21, 2002, at age 75. He also had over 60 children and was married 6 times.

Second generation

(1946–1988) attended

Millfield Millfield is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) located in Street, Somerset, England. It was founded in 1935. Millfield is a registered charity and is the largest co-educational boarding schoo ...

, the English boarding school. He took over the family empire in 1967 upon the death of his father; also an amateur rock guitarist in the 1970s. He married an English art student, Caroline Carey, whose half-brother, Ambrose, is the son of the Marquess of Queensberry. Salem died outside

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas in 1988, when an experimental

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

plane that he was flying got tangled in power lines. *

Tarek bin Laden Tarek bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, طارق بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; born 1947) is the half-brother of Osama bin Laden, and a member of the Saudi Arabia business community. He was once called "the personification of the di ...

(born 1947); once called "the personification of the dichotomy (conservatism and change) of Saudi Arabia". *

Bakr bin Laden Bakr bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, بكر بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; born 1946) is the former chairman of the Jeddah-based Saudi Binladin Group and the former largest shareholder in the Group, with a 23.58% holding. He is t ...

(born 1946) succeeded Salem as the chairman of the

; major power broker in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

. * Hassan bin Laden, senior vice president of the SBG. * Yehia bin Laden, also active in the SBG; in 2001, owned 16 percent of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, MA-based Hybridon, Inc. * Mahrous bin Laden, implicated in the

Grand Mosque Seizure The Grand Mosque seizure lasted from 20 November 1979 to 4 December 1979, when extremist militants in Saudi Arabia calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud besieged and took over Masjid al-Haram, the holiest Islamic site, in the city of M ...

carried out by dissidents against the Saudi ruling family at the

Masjid al-Haram , native_name_lang = ar , religious_affiliation = Islam , image = Al-Haram mosque - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg , image_upright = 1.25 , caption = Aerial view of the Great Mosque of Mecca , map ...

in Makka on November 20, 1979. This event shook the Muslim world with the ensuing violence and the killing of hundreds at the holiest of Islamic sites. Trucks owned by the family were reported to have been used to smuggle arms into the tightly controlled city. The bin Laden connection was through the son of a Sultan of Yemen who had been radicalized by Syrian members of the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...

. Mahrous was arrested for a time, but was not beheaded by the Saudi government alongside 63 others who were, with their public executions broadcast live on Saudi television. Later exonerated, he joined the family business and became manager of the

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

branch of the bin Laden enterprises and a member of the board. *

(born 1957 in Saudi Arabia,

died Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

May 2, 2011, in Pakistan) was a terrorist who co-founded the terrorism group

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

, which was responsible for the attacks such as the

1998 United States embassy bombings The 1998 United States embassy bombings were attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998. More than 200 people were killed in nearly simultaneous truck bomb explosions in two East African cities, one at the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam, ...

, the

2002 Bali bombing The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other nationalit ...

, and most famously, the

. His death was announced on May 2, 2011. He was one of the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

's Most Wanted Terrorists. *

Najwa Ghanem Najwa Ghanem ( ar, نجوى غانم; born c. 1960), is a Syrian woman who was the first wife and first cousin of Osama bin Laden, being the daughter of his mother's brother. She is also known as '' Um Abdallah'' (mother of Abdallah). She was b ...

(born 1959), became the first wife of Osama in 1974. A first cousin, she was his mother's niece. She co-authored ''Growing Up bin Laden'' with her son Omar. * Shaikha bint Laden (born 1960), half-sister of Osama, married

Mohammed Jamal Khalifa Mohammed Jamal Khalifa ( ar, محمد جمال خليفه) (1 February 1957 – 31 January 2007) was a Saudi businessman from Jeddah who married one of Osama bin Laden's sisters. He has been accused of funding terror plots and groups in the Phi ...

. He was the founder of

Benevolence International Foundation The Benevolence International Foundation (Benevolence International Fund in Canada, Bosanska Idealna Futura in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia) (BIF) was a purported nonprofit charitable trust based in Saudi Arabia. It was determined to be a front ...

, in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in 1988. During this period, Khalifa is believed to have received large donations of cash from outside the country, some of which, intelligence officials suspect, may have been funneled to him by

. He also ran the International Relations and Information Centre, by which embezzled money was funneled to

Ramzi Yousef Ramzi Ahmed Yousef ( ur, , translit=''Ramzī Ahmad Yūsuf''; born 20 May 1967 or 27 April 1968) is a Pakistani convicted terrorist who was one of the main perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the bombing of Philippine Airlines ...

. In 1993, his business cards were found in the

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.1993 World Trade Centre bombing plot. Khalifa was first arrested on December 14, 1994, in

Mountain View, California Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376. Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is the ...

, placed in solitary confinement, and the contents of his luggage were logged and edited. In 1995, Khalifa was arrested in San Francisco on charges of violating United States immigration laws. He was detained while the Justice Department tried but failed to gather enough information to charge him in connection with suspected terrorist activities. Eventually, he was deported on May 5, 1995, to

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, which had an outstanding warrant for him on charges stemming from the bombing of movie theaters in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

in 1994, for which he had been under a possible death sentence, convicted in absentia. His conviction was later overturned in a new trial, which resulted in an acquittal. In 1996, Khalifa returned to Saudi Arabia, where he was again arrested after 9/11, but later released. He lived in Saudi Arabia and was assassinated in 2007 in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. *

Yeslam bin Ladin Yeslam bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, يسلم بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; born October 19, 1950) better known as Yeslam bin Laden, also written Yeslam Binladin, as he prefers to spell it, is a businessman and the half-brother ...

(born 1950) studied in the 1970s at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, in Los Angeles; settled in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

; became a Swiss citizen in 2001;

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

-based head of the family's European holding company, the

Saudi Investment Company The Saudi Investment Company (SICO), headquartered Geneva, Switzerland, and founded on May 19, 1980, represents the worldwide interests of the Saudi Binladin Group. Overview The Geneva-based SICO is the parent house for the group's internatio ...

; was scrutinized by Swiss and American investigators because of a financial stake he has in a Swiss aviation firm; he has claimed to not have had contact with Osama since 1981 * Abdullah bin Laden (born 1965); a graduate of

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, Abdullah lived in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

on 9/11, and was the only Bin Ladin relative to remain in the United States, staying in Boston for almost a month following the attacks. * Shafig bin Laden, the half-brother of Osama, was a guest of honour at the

Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group is a multinational private equity, alternative asset management and financial services corporation based in the United States with $376 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, real assets, and pri ...

's Washington conference at the

Ritz-Carlton Hotel The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addit ...

on September 11, 2001, and was among the 13 members of the bin Ladin family to leave the United States on September 19, 2001 aboard flight N521DB.

Third generation

Wafah Dufour Wafah Dufour (born Wafah bin Ladin, May 23, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, socialite, and model. mirror Biography Wafah bin Ladin was born on May 23, 1975 (although some reports have given 1978 or 1980) in Los Angeles, Califor ...

(born 1975), daughter of

Yeslam bin Laden Yeslam bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, يسلم بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; born October 19, 1950) better known as Yeslam bin Laden, also written Yeslam Binladin, as he prefers to spell it, is a businessman and the half-brother ...

, is an American model and aspiring singer-songwriter. She spent the early part of her life in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dufour, her little sisters Najia (1979) and Noor (1987), her mother (1954) and her father (1950) then moved to

, Switzerland. In 1988, her parents separated. She earned a law diploma at Geneva Law School (Switzerland) and later a master's degree from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in the United States. She lived in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

until around the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, but was staying in Geneva for a summer holiday at the time of the attacks. * Abdullah Osama bin Laden (born 1976), son of Osama and Najwa. He is reportedly residing in Saudi Arabia, and runs his own firm, called Fame Advertising, in Jeddah; he is closely watched by the Saudi government, which has restricted his travel from the kingdom since 1996; reportedly, he has never disowned his father. *Abdul Rahman bin Laden (born 1979), the second son of Osama and Najwa. As a child he was born with

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) occurs within the brain. This typically causes increased intracranial pressure, pressure inside the skull. Older people may have headaches, double vision, poor ...

, and his father took him to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for medical treatment. However, he refused to allow British surgeons to operate on the boy and tried to treat him himself using a folk remedy of

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

. He ended up having an

intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

and

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

. As an adult he moved to Syria with his mother in 2011. *

Saad bin Laden ( ar, سعد بن أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; 19792009), better known as Saad bin Laden, was one of Osama bin Laden's sons. He continued in his father's footsteps by being active in Al Qaeda, and was being groomed to be ...

(1979–2009) son of Osama and Najwa; Saad accompanied Osama on his exile to Sudan from 1991 to 1996, and then to Afghanistan. He was believed to be married to a woman from Yemen. Saad reportedly arrived in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in 2002 from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, with a fake Iranian passport using the name Saad Mahmoudian. The customs officer immediately recognized that the passport was fake, and searched and questioned Saad briefly. He notified airport security but did not notify the

Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of Iran The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, وزارت اطّلاعات جمهوری اسلامی ایران, Vezarat-e Ettela'at Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran) is the primary intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of ...

(which is also responsible for identifying detained people at airports) as he was supposed to. As a result, the officer found nothing suspicious about his entrance and permitted him to leave Tehran. He was believed to have been heavily responsible for the bombing of a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n synagogue on April 11, 2002. He was then implicated in the May 12, 2003, suicide bombing in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

, and the

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

bombing four days later. He was put under house arrest by the Iran government, but later escaped by January 2009 and fled to Pakistan. Saad was later killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2009. Al-Qaeda leader

Ayman al-Zawahiri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (June 19, 1951 – July 31, 2022) was an Egyptian-born terrorist and physician who served as the second emir of al-Qaeda from June 16, 2011, until his death. Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cairo University with ...

confirmed Saad's death in a videotape three years later. *

Omar bin Laden Omar bin Osama bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, عمر بن أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن, ''ʿUmar bin ʾUsāmah bin Muḥammad bin ʿAwaḍ bin Lādin''; born March 1, 1981), better known as Omar bin Laden, is a Saud ...

(born 1981) son of Osama and Najwa; Omar accompanied Osama on his exile to Sudan from 1991 to 1996, and then to Afghanistan. He returned to Saudi Arabia after an apparent falling-out with his father over Omar's disagreement with violence. For a while, Omar ran his own company in Jeddah as a contractor. Omar has one son, Ahmed, by his ex-wife, whom he had divorced 3 times by 2006. In September 2006, he married Zaina and they are now said to be living in a secret location in Qatar. He is now reported to be living in Normandie, France, with his wife. * Mohammad bin Osama bin Laden (born 1983), the son of Osama and Najwa, married the daughter of al-Qaeda leader

Mohammed Atef Mohammed Atef ( ar, محمد عاطف, ; born Sobhi Mohammed Abu Sitta Al-Gohary, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri) was the military chief of al-Qaeda, and was considered one of Osama bin Laden's two deputies, the other being Ayman Al Zawahiri, ...

in January 2001, at

Kandahar, Afghanistan Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

, with footage broadcast by

Al-Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

, where three of Osama's step-siblings and Osama's mother were in attendance. *

Hamza bin Laden Hamza bin Osama bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, حمزة بن أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; or ), better known as Hamza bin Laden, was a Saudi Arabian-born member of Al-Qaeda. He was a son of Al-Qaeda leader Osama ...

(1989–2017/2019), also the son of Osama, was groomed to be Osama's heir following Saad's death. On February 28, 2019, the U.S. State Department offered a reward of up to $1 million for information on Hamza bin Laden's whereabouts. The announcement described Hamza bin Laden as a "key leader" of Al-Qaeda who had released audio and video messages on the internet calling for attacks on the U.S. and its western allies to avenge his father's killing. On July 31, 2019, it was reported that Hamza bin Laden was believed to have been killed in the first two years of the

Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

, which began on January 20, 2017. On September 14, 2019, U.S.

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

confirmed that Hamza bin Laden was killed in a U.S. counter-terrorism operation in the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

region. Other details were not disclosed. * Khaled bin Laden, son of Osama, was killed along with his father at

Abbottabad Abbottabad (; Urdu, Punjabi language(HINDKO dialect) آباد, translit=aibṭabād, ) is the capital city of Abbottabad District in the Hazara region of eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in Pakistan and fourth ...

, Pakistan, May 2, 2011. * Abdul Aziz bin Laden, manages SBG's Egyptian operations; ranked Number 2 in the 2006 UAE National Superstock Bike Championship.

Family tree

Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden's sons

's (1908–1967) known sons: #

(d. 1988) ''married'' Caroline Carey # Ali bin Laden # Thabet bin Laden (d. 2009) # Mahrous bin Laden # Hassan bin Laden #

# Khalid bin Laden #

(born 1950) ''married''

Carmen bin Ladin Carmen bin Laden (née Dufour; born 1954) is a Swiss author. She was a member of the bin Laden family, having entered the family by marriage to Yeslam bin Ladin, a son of the patriarch Muhammad bin Ladin; they have since divorced. Biography Early ...

(born 1954) ## Wafah Dufour (born 1978) ## Najia Dufour (born 1979) ## Noor Dufour (born 1987) # Ghalib bin Laden # Yahya bin Laden # Omar bin Laden # Abdul Aziz bin Laden # Issa bin Laden # Tarek bin Laden # Ahmed bin Laden # Ibrahim bin Laden #

Shafiq bin Laden The Binladin family ( ar, عائلة بن لادن, ) is an Arab family intimately connected with the innermost circles of the House of Saud, Saudi royal family. It is the namesake and controlling shareholder of Saudi Binladin Group, a multinati ...

(d. 2011) ''married''

(born 1960) # Khalil bin Ladin # Saleh bin Ladin # Haider bin Laden # Saad bin Laden # Abdullah bin Laden # Yasser bin Laden # Mohammad bin Laden (born 1967)

Osama bin Laden's children

Osama bin Laden's known children, from his respective wives, include: * by ''

:'' **

Abdallah bin Laden Abdallah bin Osama bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden (in Arabic: عبدالله بن أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن; born c. 1976) is the son of Osama bin Laden and Osama's first wife, a Syrian woman named Najwa. He is not to ...

(born 1976) ** Abdul Rahman bin Laden (born 1978) **

(1979–2009), killed in a drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region in 2009. **

(born 1981), married Zaina Alsabah-Bin Laden 2006 to date. ** Osman bin Laden (born 1983) ** Mohammed bin Osama bin Laden (born 1985) ** Fatima bin Laden (born 1987) ** Iman bin Laden (born 1990) ** Laden "Bakr" bin Laden (born 1993) ** Roqaya bin Laden (born 1997) ** Nour bin Laden (born 1999) * by ''Khadijah Sharif:'' ** Ali bin Laden (born 1986) ** Amer bin Laden (born 2005) ** Aisha bin Laden (born 1992) * by ''Khairiah Sabar:'' **

(1989–late 2010s) * by ''Siham Sabar:'' ** Khalid bin Laden (1988–2011), killed during the Navy SEAL raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan. ** Kadhija bin Laden (1988–2007), died in childbirth in Pakistan's tribal region, according to al-Qaeda leader

. ** Miriam bin Laden (born 1990) ** Sumaiya bin Laden (born 1992)

Bin Laden flights

At least 13 relatives of Osama bin Laden, accompanied by bodyguards and associates, left the United States on a chartered flight with

Ryan International Airlines Ryan International Airlines, Inc. was an American FAR 121 airline with domestic, flag, and supplemental authority. Synopsis and history Based at Chicago Rockford International Airport in Rockford, Illinois, the US Postal Service was once the a ...

(Ryan International Flight 441), eight days after the

September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...

, according to a passenger manifest released on July 21, 2004. The passenger list was made public by Senator

Frank Lautenberg Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was orig ...

(D-NJ), who obtained the manifest from officials at Boston's

Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport , also known as Boston Logan International Airport and commonly as Boston Logan, Logan Airport or simply Logan, is an international airport that is located mostly in East Boston and partially ...

. None of the flights, domestic or international, took place before the reopening of national airspace on the morning of September 13 and the 9/11 Commission found "no evidence of a political intervention". Among the passengers with the bin Laden surname were

Omar Awad bin Laden Omar bin Osama bin Mohammed bin 'Awad bin Laden ( ar, عمر بن أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن, ''ʿUmar bin ʾUsāmah bin Muḥammad bin ʿAwaḍ bin Lādin''; born March 1, 1981), better known as Omar bin Laden, is a Saud ...

, who had lived with Osama's nephew Abdallah Awad bin Laden, who was involved in forming the U.S. branch of the

World Assembly of Muslim Youth The World Assembly of Muslim Youth is an international Islamic educational organization whose stated purpose is “preserve the identity of Muslim youth and help overcome the problems they face in modern society”. Reportedly the world's largest ...

in Alexandria, and Shafig bin Laden, a half brother of Osama's who was reportedly attending the annual investor conference of the

. Also on board was Akberali Moawalla, an official with the investment company run by

, another of Osama bin Laden's half brothers. Records show that a passenger, Kholoud Kurdi, lived in Northern Virginia with a bin Laden relative. The bin Laden flight has received fresh publicity because it was a topic in

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

's controversial documentary ''

Fahrenheit 9/11 ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed, written by, and starring filmmaker, director, political commentator and activist Michael Moore. The film takes a liberal, critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the w ...

''. The

9/11 Commission The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11 attacks", includin ...

found that the "FBI conducted a satisfactory screening of Saudi nationals who left the United States on charter flights. The Saudi government was advised of and agreed to the FBI's requirements that passengers be identified and checked against various databases before the flights departed. The Federal Aviation Administration representative working in the FBI operations center made sure that the FBI was aware of the flights of Saudi nationals and was able to screen the passengers before they were allowed to depart."