Bin Laden's Uncle Dies at Age 75

AP via NYTimes.com ^ | 3/31/02

[GeneD]

Filed at 1:57 p.m. ET

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Abdullah Awad bin Laden, patriarch of one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia and uncle of terror suspect Osama bin Laden, has died at the age of 75.

Abdullah bin Laden died in Medina on March 21 and was buried that day in the holy city in western Saudi Arabia in accordance with Islamic tradition, according to a death notice published in the London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat the following day.

On Sunday, the bin Laden family published a full-page notice in Asharq al-Awsat expressing ``its sincere gratitude and appreciation to all those who presented their condolences on the death of the family's head, Sheik Abdullah Awad bin Laden.''

The notices did not give the cause of death or list survivors. Abdullah bin Laden had suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes.

Family members refused comment.

Though he was head of the family, in the last decade Abdullah bin Laden had had little to do with the day-to-day running of the lucrative family business, the Saudi bin Laden Group.

Osama bin Laden's father and Abdullah bin Laden's younger brother, Yemeni immigrant Mohammed bin Laden, started the enterprise as a construction firm in the 1930s. The business, which grew to include mining and telecommunications and had an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion in annual revenue, is now headed by Bakr bin Laden, one of Mohammed bin Laden's 54 sons.

The bin Laden family disavowed any links with Osama bin Laden in 1994, the year when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship for his opposition activities.

As head of his family, it was Abdullah bin Laden who issued a statement offering condolences to those who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 attacks blamed on Osama bin Laden.

The statement also offered ``strong condemnation of this tragic incident of which many men, women and children were victims and which contradicts the teachings of our religion, Islam.''

[Husker24]

Now if we can just get him to come to the funeral.

[End Times Sentinel]

Now, why when I hear news like this do I have the over-whelming desire to run out into the street, burn a home-made Saudi flag (with the script at the center comically screwed up due to my own ignorance) and indiscriminately discharge rounds from my AK-47?

Hey, maybe the muslims and I aren’t so far apart after all…

Owl _ Eagle
“Guns before butter.”

[Tennessee_Bob]

Hmmm....wonder how the middle-eastern press will spin this to make it the fault of the Americans?

[BraveMan]

We're handing baskets of candy to our children . . .

[End Times Sentinel]

We're handing baskets of candy to our children . . .

Hey, speak for yourself, you’ve probably never spent the better part of a weekend trying to explain the glories of martyrdom to a 2 ½ year old little girl…

Owl _ Eagle
“Guns before butter.”

[WyCoKsRepublican]

Headline should say "BIN LADEN DEAD". Now that would make me smile........

[BraveMan]

Yea, its tough when they're that young . . .

[Rome2000]

He was truly a monkeys uncle.

[ThePoetsRaven]

Cause of death....SHAME

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

His last words were: "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle! No -- wait -- I already am."

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Woops, guess I should have read ALL the replies before making my joke. Ah well, can't win 'em all.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

dear usama as executor of you late uncle estate it is my duty to inform you that you have inherited a sizeable estate we just need you to come to the following coordinates um I mean address to sign some paperwork

ps. There is a liitle something for your friend mullar omar so if you could bring him along that would be most beneficial

[ASA Vet]

He won't be attending, as he's been dead since before Dec 13th, 2001.

[TexKat]

How do we know this was not Osama? That was 10 days ago and it is now just making news.

[GreatOne]

Some may find this extreme, but I think that what the U.S. should do is round up every relative of bin Laden and his known top associates, and kill them all. Only way to get the message through to these people that they can't get away with what they're doing.

[lwoodham]

Agree whole heartedly, and take no prisnors.