Osama bin Laden was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda, a Salafi jihadist terrorist organization, from 1988 until his killing in 2011. He was one of the most prominent supporters of Islamic terrorism in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, funding and personally orchestrating the September 11 attacks against the United States. He also funded and recruited other Salafi jihadists worldwide, aiming to create a pan-Islamic caliphate to oppose U.S. intervention in the Middle East and U.S. support for Israel.
- Occupation
- civil engineer, businessperson, jihadist, terrorist
- Position held
- General Emir of Al-Qaeda
- Citizenship
- Saudi Arabia, statelessness
- Born
- March 10, 1957
- Died
- May 2, 2011
