A Saudi millionaire, Islamic fundamentalist and alleged...

A Saudi millionaire, Islamic fundamentalist and alleged financier of international terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, has been living in Afghanistan for several years as a "guest" of the Taleban Islamic movement. He is a veteran of the Afghan war of 1979-1989. Bin Laden's name has come up in connection with a number of terrorist attacks around the world, among them the attacks in Riyadh (November 95) and Dhahran (June 96), that left about 30 people dead, including 24 Americans. He has also been implicated in the attacks on a Yemenite hotel (December 92) that injured several tourists; the assassination attempt on Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia (June 95); the World Trade Centre bombing (February 93) that killed 3 and injured hundreds; and the Somali attack on American forces that left hundreds wounded. Bin Laden is also a prime suspect for the bombings of United States embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in August 1998, killing 220 people and wounding 4,000. The US government is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to Bin Laden's arrest and conviction. He is one of 17 people charged with an alleged conspiracy to kill American nationals abroad and for the bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Of the 17 people charged, six defendants are now held in the United States, three are in England and eight, including Bin Laden, remain fugitives. The trial against the defendants sets a precedent: it will be the first time the federal government will seek the death penalty in an international terrorism case.