USAMA BIN LADEN AS SEEN BY HIS BR0THER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000948

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PTER, PINR, SA
SUBJECT: USAMA BIN LADEN AS SEEN BY HIS BR0THER

1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY C0NSUL D0UGLAS NEUMANN. REAS0N: 1.5(D)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------

2. (C) SHEIKH BAKR BIN LADEN TOLD THE AMBASSAD0R THAT HIS
HALF-BR0THER USAMA WAS A SIMPLE PERS0N EASILY INFLUENCED
BY OTHERS. HE LEFT THE FAMILY BUSINESSES AB0UT TEN YEARS
AG0 AFTER A DISPUTE 0VER WORKING WITH BANKS AND M0VED TO
AFGHANISTAN, WHERE HE WAS "BRAINWASHED" BY EXTREMIST
EGYPTIANS. HE MAINTAINS N0 FINANCIAL LINKS T0 THE BIN
LADENS AND, ACC0RDING T0 BAKR, LIVED OFF OF LITTLE M0NEY
WHILE IN THE SUDAN BEYOND WHAT HE C0ULD EARN FR0M PR0JECTS
DIRECTED HIS WAY BY THE G0VERNMENT. N0W THAT HE HAS
RETURNED T0 AFGHANISTAN, USAMA IS NEAR THE END 0F THE
ROAD, FELT BAKR. HE RECENTLY SENT WORD T0 HIS FAMILY THAT
HE WAS WILLING T0 RETURN T0 SAUDI ARABIA, IF THE BIN
LADENS W0ULD HELP SEEK THE RELEASE 0F CERTAIN P0LITICAL
PRIS0NERS. THE FAMILY REFUSED. "HE IS FINISHED," BAKR
SAID. END SUMMARY.

--------------
A PERSON 0PEN T0 SUGGESTI0N
--------------

3. (C) IN A MEETING WITH THE AMBASSADOR ON SEPTEMBER 17,
SHEIKH BAKR BIN LADEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE SAUDI BIN LADEN
GROUP, DISC0URSED FREELY AB0UT HI8 N0T0RI0US HALF-BR0THER
USAMA. BAKR COMMENTED THAT AB0UT HALF OF HIS FATHER'8
FIFTY-FOUR CHILDREN 8TUDIED ABR0AD. TH0SE THAT REMAINED
IN SAUDI ARABIA TEND T0 HAVE A MORE C0NSERVATIVE 0UTL00K
0N LIFE; USAMA WAS 0NE 0F THESE.

4. (C) USAMA'S M0THER IS SYRIAN. HE I8 THE 0NLY CHILD
SHE BORE DURING HER MARRIAGE WITH M0HAMMED BIN LADEN
(ALTHOUGH SHE HAD 0THER CHILDREN BY A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE).
BAKR C0NSIDERED USAMA T0 BE A SIMPLE THINKER EASILY
INFLUENCED BY THE IDEAS 0F 0THERS. THIS MADE HIM
SUSCEPTIBLE T0 EXTREMIST RELIGI0US IDEA8, WHICH BAKR
TH0UGHT HAD BEEN SPREAD AM0NG THE SAUDI PE0PLE BY "F0REIGN
AGENTS".

5. (C) THE BIN LADEN FAMILY LEARNED THAT U8AMA WAS
PICKING UP UNUSUAL IDEAS ABOUT TEN YEARS AG0 WHILE HE
STILL WORKED IN 0NE 0F THE FAMILY BUSINESSES. AT THAT
TIME HE PROTESTED TO 0NE OF HIS BROTHERS AB0UT THE BIN
LADEN'S DEALINGS WITH BANKS, WHICH USAMA C0NSIDERED T0 BE
UN-ISLAMIC. THE BR0THER DISMISSED HIS C0MPLAINTS, S0
USAMA LEFT THE C0MPANY AND M0VED TO AFGHANISTAN.

6. (C) BAKR NOTED THAT USAMA HAD FREQUENTLY VI8ITED
AFGHANISTAN EVEN BEF0RE HI8 M0VE. THERE HE J0INED UP WITH
EGYPTIAN EXTREMISTS, WH0 "BRAINWA8HED" HIM AND INTR0DUCED
HIM T0 THE TACTICS 0F TERR0RI8M. BAKR FELT THAT THESE
EXTREMISTS WERE ONLY INTERESTED IN HIS HALF-BR0THER
BECAUSE HE BEARS THE PRESTIGI0U8 BIN LADEN NAME.

--------------
N0 FINANCIAL TIES WITH THE BIN LADEN8
--------------

7. (C) THE AMBASSAD0R A8KED WHETHER USAMA C0NTINUED T0
MAINTAIN FINANCIAL LINKS T0 THE BIN LADENS. USAMA HAD N0
STAKE IN THE SAUDI BIN LADEN GR0UP (THE C0MPANY
ESTABLISHED BY THE S0NS 0F M0HAMMED BIN LADEN) BAKR
REPLIED. HE D0E8 HAVE THE RIGHT T0 A SHARE IN HIS
FATHER'S BUSINESS, THE MOHAMMED BIN LADEN C0MPANY, BUT
ONLY IF HE RETURNS T0 THE KINGD0M. H0WEVER USAMA'S LIQUID
ASSETS WERE FR0ZEN BY THE SAUDI G0VERNMENT WHEN THEY
STRIPPED HIM OF HIS CITIZENSHIP.

8. (C) BAKR CLAIMED THAT USAMA HAD LITTLE M0NEY WHILE
LIVING IN SUDAN. THE SUDANI GOVERNMENT 8UPP0RTED HIM BY
PASSING R0AD CONSTRUCTION AND FARMING PROJECTS HI8 WAY.
BAKR ALS0 SUSPECTED THAT IRAN FUNNELED M0NEY T0 HIM
THR0UGH MIDDLEMEN, 8INCE USAMA W0ULD N0T 0PENLY MAINTAIN
TIES WITH A SHIA G0VERNMENT.

9. (C) ACCORDING TO BAKR, INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE AND
INTEREST IN BETTER COMMERCIAL RELATI0NS WITH SAUDI ARABIA
C0MPELLED SUDAN T0 ASK USAMA T0 LEAVE. HIS RETURN T0
AFGHANISTAN HAS MADE HIM VULNERABLE, BAKR TH0UGHT; USAMA
I8 N0 LONGER PROTECTED BY THE SUDANI GOVERNMENT AND CAN
N0W BE REACHED BY HIS ENEMIES. "HE IS FINISHED," BAKR
SAID.

--------------
N0 C0NTACT WITH THE FAMILY
--------------

10. (C) IN RESP0NSE T0 A QUESTI0N FR0M THE AMBASSAD0R,
BAKR STATED THAT THE BIN LADENS ARE N0 L0NGER IS IN DIRECT
C0NTACT WITH USAMA. IN THE PAST HE COMMUNICATED WITH HIS
M0THER DURING HER FREQUENT STAYS IN SYRIA. THE FAMILY
LAST ATTEMPTED T0 REAS0N WITH HIM THR0UGH A 90-YEAR-0LD
UNCLE RESIDING IN MEDINA.

11. (C) BAKR TH0UGHT THAT USAMA WAS APPROACHING THE END
OF THE ROAD. HE HAD RECENTLY SENT WORD TO THE FAMILY 0F
HIS WILLINGNESS TO RETURN T0 SAUDI ARABIA, ON C0NDITION
THAT THE BIN LADENS HELP OBTAIN THE FREED0M 0F CERTAIN
POLITICAL PRIS0NERS IN THE KINGDOM. BAKR SAID THAT THE
FAMILY REJECTED THIS REQUEST.

--------------
C0MMENT
--------------

12. (C) BAKR HAS NEVER BEF0RE SPOKEN S0 FREELY WITH A USG
0FFICIAL AB0UT HIS INFAM0US HALF-BR0THER; WHENEVER THE
C0NVERSATI0N STRAYED, HE BROUGHT IT BACK T0 USAMA. IN
THIS FIRST MEETING WITH THE AMBASSAD0R, BAKR APPEARED T0
BE TAKING PAINS TO DEM0NSTRATE THAT USAMA, WITH NO FULL
BIN LADEN BR0THERS OR FINANCIAL INTEREST IN THE SAUDI BIN
LADEN GR0UP, REMAINED AN ISOLATED FIGURE IN HIS FAMILY.


BUCK