US embassy cable - 96JEDDAH948

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) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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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. 
 
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A PERSON 0PEN T0 SUGGESTI0N 
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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. 
 
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N0 FINANCIAL TIES WITH THE BIN LADEN8 
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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. 
 
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N0 C0NTACT WITH THE FAMILY 
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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. 
 
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C0MMENT 
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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