World Trade Center Attack "The Second Day of Infamy"

Osama bin Laden

Usama bin Laden, also known as Osama bin Laden, is ranked by the FBI as one of the 10 most wanted fugitives in the world. Born in 1957 in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden leads a terrorist group called Al-Qaeda, or "The Base." There is currently a $5 million reward for information that results in his arrest for the many terrorist activities that he has masterminded.

Who Is bin Laden? top

He was born in 1957 in Saudi Arabia.
He is wealthy. His initial wealth came from his family's Saudi construction business.
He has a degree in civil engineering earned in 1979.
According to the BBC, bin Laden "left Saudi Arabia in 1979 to fight against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Afghan jihad was backed with American dollars and had the blessing of the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. He received security training from the CIA." In this war, bin Laden set up training camps for Mujahedeen rebels.
In 1988, he founded al Queda, also known as "The Base," which originally fought in the war in Afghanistan.
In 1992, bin Laden began his terrorist activities against the United States.
Bin Laden currently lives in Afghanistan.

What Has He Done? top
Osama bin Laden has participated in a number of terrorist activites against the United States since 1992, including:

1. A hotel bombing in Yemen targeting U.S. troops in 1992
2. The World Trade Center truck bombing in 1993
3. The bombing of a U.S. military housing facility called the Khobar Towers in Dharan, Saudi Arabia, in 1996
4. The bombing of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998
5. The bombing of the USS Cole in 2000
6. There is extensive suspicion that bin Laden was involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the United States.

What Does He Have Against the U.S.? top
Osama bin Laden is obviously not a supporter of the United States. That animosity began in 1991 with the Gulf War. The extended U.S. military relationship with Saudi Arabia means that the United States has military bases in Saudi Arabia.

Bin Laden's bad relationship with both Saudi Arabia and America started for two reasons:

According to the BBC, "Mr. bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia [after the Afghan war] to work in the family construction business, but was expelled in 1991 because of his anti-government activities there. He spent the next five years in Sudan until U.S. pressure prompted the Sudanese Government to expel him, whereupon Mr. bin Laden returned to Afghanistan."

According to PBS, "After victory, the U.S. established a large permanent military presence in the region, including Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the land of 'the two most holy places' in Islam -- Mecca and Medina."
In 1996, bin Laden signed a declaration of war "against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places."

Bin Laden sees the United States as an aggressor against the nation of Islam.

What Is Being Done? top
The FBI currently has bin Laden on its list of the 10 Most Wanted Fugitives for:

MURDER OF U.S. NATIONALS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES; CONSPIRACY TO MURDER U.S. NATIONALS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES; ATTACK ON A FEDERAL FACILITY RESULTING IN DEATH
There is currently a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

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