The 22-member strong family poses in front of one of their cars on Åsgatan in central Falun in 1971. 
Osama bin Laden, 14 years old. "Cute and polite, but 'different'", Christina Åkerblad remembers.
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1971: The whole family on a vacation to Sweden
Here, in front of Burens Herrekipering [gentlemen's outfitters] in Falun, stands the world's most hunted man - the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
He looks into the camera.
- Sure it is Osama. You can tell by his smile, says Christina Åkerblad.
The picture was taken a sunny day in 1971. It shows 22 members of the bin Laden family on a visit in Dalarna [a county in Sweden]. Osama, 14 years old, is second from the right.
- It's been over 30 years since I saw him. But it is Osama, says Christina Åkerblad to Falu Kuriren [newspaper]. They always ate in their room
In the 60's and 70's she ran Hotell Astoria in Falun together with her husband Arne. Osama was a guest there together with his older brother Salem, the head of the family, during his first visit to Sweden in 1970.
- I remember that both Salem and Osama were cute and polite, but 'different'.
- We could not understand why they always went up to their rooms to eat. We had to take their dinners upstairs. I also remember that they always left a large tip. They were simply two very pleasant persons, says Christina Åkerblad to the newspaper.
Osama had a bag with golden jewellery, pins and cuff links with precious stones.
- They lay openly when I cleaned the rooms, says Christina Åkerblad.
The brothers parked their car just outside the hotel everyday, and always payed the parking tickets this caused.
The police in Falun suspected that they were dealing with narcotics. They searched the car but never found anything.
The Saudi billionaire family bin Laden had close contacts with Sweden in the brginning of the 70's. A favourite spot was Dalarna.
They visited the copper mine
The whole family traveled to Falun in 1971 and it's during that visit, Osama's second visit to Falun, that the family photo was taken outside Burens Herrekipering.
The family traveled Dalarna and, amongst other places, visited the Falu copper mine.
The older brothers traveled by aircraft, the younger in limousines. The women came behind in a buss. |