Major Controversies Surrounding Osama bin Laden: A Detailed Timeline

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Osama bin Laden.

Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born Islamist, founded al-Qaeda and served as its first emir. He fought against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and supported Bosnian fighters in the Yugoslav Wars. He vehemently opposed U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, declaring war against the U.S. in 1996. Bin Laden orchestrated and supervised the September 11 attacks in 2001, targeting U.S. assets. His actions and ideologies had a significant impact on global politics and security.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1982: Inspiration from Lebanon War

Bin Laden states he was inspired to destroy the World Trade Center after watching the destruction of towers in Lebanon by Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War.

1982: Bin Laden Inspired by Lebanon War

In 1982, the events of the Lebanon War, particularly the destruction of towers in Lebanon by Israel, inspired Bin Laden to plan attacks against towers in America.

May 1988: Massacre of Shias in Gilgit Allegedly Led by Bin Laden

In May 1988, large numbers of Shias from in and around Gilgit, Pakistan were killed in a massacre. It is alleged that the Pakistan Army induced Osama bin Laden to lead an armed group of Sunni tribals to suppress the revolt.

1991: Bin Laden Denounces Saudi Dependence on U.S. Forces

In 1991, Osama bin Laden publicly denounced Saudi dependence on the U.S. forces, which led to him being placed under house arrest and eventually forced to leave the country.

1991: Bin Laden Expelled from Saudi Arabia

In 1991, Osama bin Laden was expelled from Saudi Arabia for criticizing the Saudi alliance with the United States.

December 1992: Bombing of the Gold Mihor Hotel in Aden

The first bombing attack believed to involve Osama bin Laden was the 29 December 1992, bombing of the Gold Mihor Hotel in Aden, which resulted in two fatalities.

1993: Reported citizenship and Bosnian passports

In 1999, the press reported that Bin Laden and his Tunisian assistant Mehrez Aodouni were granted citizenship and Bosnian passports in 1993 by the government in Sarajevo. Following the September 11 attacks, the Bosnian government denied this information, but it was later found that Aodouni possessed the Bosnian passport when he was arrested in Turkey.

1995: EIJ assassination attempt on Hosni Mubarak

In 1995, the EIJ, closely linked with Bin Laden and forming the core of al-Qaeda, attempted to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The attempt failed, leading to Sudan expelling the EIJ and al-Qaeda developing its justification for killing innocent people.

August 1996: Declared Holy War Against the U.S.

In August 1996, Bin Laden declared a fatwā declaring holy war against the U.S.

August 1996: Bin Laden issued "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places"

In August 1996, Bin Laden issued a fatwā titled "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places", which was published by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, a London-based newspaper, criticizing the presence of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia.

1996: Bin Laden Declared War on the U.S.

In 1996, Osama bin Laden declared war on the U.S. and advocated attacks targeting U.S. assets in various countries.

November 1997: Luxor massacre

In November 1997, it has been claimed that Bin Laden funded the Luxor massacre, which resulted in the death of 62 civilians. The Northern Alliance threatened to overrun Jalalabad, causing him to abandon his Najim Jihad compound and move his operations to Tarnak Farms in the south.

February 1998: Declared Holy War Against the U.S. (Fatwa)

In February 1998, Bin Laden declared a second fatwā declaring holy war against the U.S.

February 1998: Bin Laden issued fatwā against the U.S.

On 23 February 1998, Bin Laden, along with others, issued another fatwā against the U.S., calling upon Muslims to attack the country and its allies. It was entitled "Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders."

March 1998: Libya Issues Interpol Arrest Warrant

In March 1998, Libya issued the first official Interpol arrest warrant against Bin Laden and three other people for the killing of a German intelligence agent and his wife in Libya on March 10, 1994.

May 1998: Bin Laden Claims Israeli State Aims to Annex Arabian Peninsula

In May 1998, Osama bin Laden stated that the Israeli state's ultimate goal was to annex the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East and enslave its peoples. He also claimed that the U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Defense were controlled by Jews.

June 1998: Bin Laden Indicted by U.S. Grand Jury

On June 8, 1998, Bin Laden was first indicted by a grand jury of the U.S. on charges of conspiracy to attack defense utilities of the U.S. and prosecutors further charged that Bin Laden was the head of al-Qaeda.

August 1998: U.S. embassy bombings

On 7 August 1998, simultaneous truck bomb explosions occurred at the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, killing hundreds of people. Al-Qaeda later claimed responsibility for the bombings, bringing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri to the attention of the U.S. public.

November 1998: Bin Laden Indicted in New York

On November 4, 1998, Bin Laden was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, on charges including the murder of US Nationals Outside the United States, Conspiracy to Murder US Nationals Outside the United States, and Attacks on a Federal Facility Resulting in Death for his alleged role in the 1998 embassy attacks.

December 1998: Bin Laden Claims Israeli Jews Control U.S. and UK Governments

In December 1998, Osama bin Laden claimed that Operation Desert Fox was proof that Israeli Jews controlled the governments of the U.S. and the United Kingdom, manipulating them to kill Muslims.

1998: Indictment for capital crimes in embassy attacks

In 1998, Bin Laden was indicted for capital crimes related to the embassy attacks leading to being added to the FBI's most wanted list later.

1998: Indictment for Embassy Attack

In 1998, Bin Laden was indicted for the embassy attack, leading to his inclusion on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2001.

1999: NATO bombing of Yugoslavia

During his trial, former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević claimed Bin Laden had used Albania as a launchpad for violence and that the U.S. aided terrorists, culminating in the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War.

1999: Reported citizenship and Bosnian passports

August 2001: Intelligence Report on Bin Laden's Plans

On August 6, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush received an intelligence report titled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."

September 2001: September 11 Attacks

On September 11, 2001, the U.S. was attacked by al-Qaeda, who used four commercial airplanes as missiles against targets including the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. At least 2,750 people died from the attacks.

September 2001: Bin Laden Denies Responsibility

On September 16, 2001, Bin Laden read a statement, later broadcast by Al Jazeera, denying responsibility for the September 11 attacks.

November 2001: Videotape Recovered Showing Foreknowledge

In November 2001, a videotape recovered by U.S. forces in Jalalabad showed Bin Laden discussing the September 11 attacks with Khaled al-Harbi in a way that indicates foreknowledge.

December 2001: Broadcast of Videotape

On December 13, 2001, a videotape recovered in November 2001 showing Bin Laden discussing the September 11 attacks with Khaled al-Harbi was broadcast on various news networks.

2001: September 11 Attacks

In 2001, Osama bin Laden supervised the execution of the September 11 attacks inside the U.S.

2002: Bin Laden's "Letter to the American People" Published

In 2002, Bin Laden's "Letter to the American People" was published. In November 2023, amid the Gaza war, Bin Laden's "Letter to the American People", became the subject of public controversy after some TikTok users expressed sympathy with Bin Laden's statements in the letter regarding the Israel–Palestine conflict.

2002: Bin Laden claims Jews Control US Media, Politics and Economy

In a letter released in late 2002, Osama bin Laden stated that Jews controlled the civilian media outlets, politics, and economic institutions of the United States.

2002: Criticized the U.S. for its Secular Governance

In late 2002, Bin Laden criticized the U.S. for its secular form of governance and called upon Americans to convert to Islam.

2004: Bin Laden Claims Responsibility for 9/11

In the 2004 video, Bin Laden abandoned his denials and said he had personally directed the nineteen hijackers of the September 11 attacks and accused George W. Bush of negligence in the hijacking of the planes on September 11.

May 2006: Bin Laden Claims Responsibility for 9/11 in Al Jazeera Tape

In a tape aired by Al Jazeera on May 23, 2006, Bin Laden announced, "I am the one in charge of the nineteen brothers. ... I was responsible for entrusting the nineteen brothers ... with the raids."

September 2006: Al Jazeera Broadcasts Video of 9/11 Preparations

On September 7, 2006, Al Jazeera broadcast a videotape showing Bin Laden with Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Hamza al-Ghamdi, and Wail al-Shehri, as they made preparations for the September 11 attacks.

2006: Seymour Hersh asserts Bin Laden was a prisoner of ISI at Abbottabad

In a 2015 London Review of Books article, investigative reporter Seymour M. Hersh asserted that Bin Laden had been a prisoner of the ISI at the Abbottabad compound since 2006.

August 2007: Bin Laden Claims Responsibility in Video

In August 2007, Al-Qaeda released verified videos demonstrating Bin Laden's continued survival, where he claimed sole responsibility for the September 11 attacks.

2010: Bin Laden criticizes followers for civilian casualties

In 2010, Bin Laden chastised followers who had reinterpreted al-tatarrus to justify routine massacres of Muslim civilians, which had turned Muslims against the extremist movement. He condemned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan for an attack on members of a hostile tribe where noncombatants were casualties. Bin Laden wrote that the tatarrus doctrine needs to be revisited based on the modern-day context and clear boundaries established. He asked a subordinate to draw up a jihadist code of conduct that would constrain military operations in order to avoid civilian casualties.

2014: Carlotta Gall reports ISI Director General knew of Bin Laden's presence

Carlotta Gall, writing in The New York Times Magazine in 2014, reported that ISI Director General Ahmad Shuja Pasha knew of Bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad.

2015: Seymour Hersh asserts Bin Laden was a prisoner of ISI since 2006

In a 2015 London Review of Books article, investigative reporter Seymour M. Hersh asserted that Bin Laden had been a prisoner of the ISI at the Abbottabad compound since 2006; that Pasha knew of the U.S. mission in advance, and authorized the helicopters delivering the SEALs to enter Pakistani airspace; and that the CIA learned of Bin Laden's whereabouts from a former senior Pakistani intelligence of Ahmad Shuja Pasha, who was paid an estimated $25 million for the information.

2019: Coll states no direct evidence showing Pakistani knowledge of Bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad

Coll states that as of 2019 there is no direct evidence showing Pakistani knowledge of Bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad. Documents captured from the Abbottabad compound generally show that Bin Laden was wary of contact with Pakistani intelligence and police, especially in light of Pakistan's role in the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

2019: Pakistani Prime Minister claims intelligence led CIA to Bin Laden

In an interview in 2019, Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan claimed that Pakistani intelligence led the CIA to Osama bin Laden.

June 2020: Imran Khan praises Bin Laden during parliament session

During a June 2020 Pakistani parliament session, Imran Khan denounced Bin Laden's killing, labeling it as "an embarrassing moment" in their country's history, and also praised Bin Laden as a Shaheed (martyr).

November 2023: Bin Laden's "Letter to the American People" sparks controversy on TikTok

In November 2023, amid the Gaza war, Bin Laden's "Letter to the American People", published in 2002, became the subject of public controversy after some TikTok users expressed sympathy with Bin Laden's statements in the letter regarding the Israel–Palestine conflict. The letter was removed from The Guardian's website and TikTok began taking down videos that shared the letter.