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