Born Osama ibn Mohammed ibn Awad ibn Ladin in 1957, bin Laden first made a name for himself by funding and joining Mujahideen forces in Afghanistan during their fight against the Soviet Union.
Before forming al-Qaeda, bin Laden served in the Maktab al-Khidamat (Afghan Services Bureau) for four years.
A life that was riddled with as many notable incidents as people al-Qaeda murdered, bin Laden was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for most of his life.
Let’s take a look back at some of the more notable moments from the former al-Qaeda leader’s life:
10 March 1957 – bin Laden is born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
1979 – bin Laden joins Mujahideen forces in Afghanistan
11 August 1988 – al-Qaeda is formed during a private meeting
1992 – Banished from Saudi Arabia, moves al-Qaeda base to Sudan
1994 – Saudi Arabia citizenship expires
1996 – al-Qaeda moves base to Afghanistan. Bin Laden declares war on the United States
23 February 1998 – A fatwa (a ruling on a point of Islamic law) is published declaring war on Crusaders and Jews
20 November 1998 – Court in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan declares accused Osama bin Laden “a man without sin” in response to the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania
11 September 2001 – 9/ 11 attacks occur in New York City on the World Trade Center buildings
16 September 2001 – Letter is read out on Al Jazeera reportedly from bin Laden saying that he is not involved in the attacks
16 January 2002 – United Nations Security Council establishes an arms embargo and freezes all of bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and a Taliban member’s assets
29 October 2004 – Al Jazeera broadcasts an excerpt from a video of bin Laden claiming direct responsibility for the 9/ 11 attacks
2 May 2011 – Osama bin Laden is murdered in a private home in Abottabad, Pakistan, by Navy SEALs soldiers during Operation Neptune Spear
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