Though Cowards Flinch

Last year author Steve Coll presented a study of the bin Laden family to an audience at the LSE, a podcast of which can be downloaded from the LSE website and is well worth a listen.

My favourite story from the presentation starts by introducing Mohammed bin Laden, Father of Osama and entrepeneur. He sent his children to study in boarding schools either in Lebanon or England, not happy with the quality of local education offered in Saudi Arabia at the time. As a wealthy Saudi Royal, he could afford aircraft and had pilots including ex-US military personnel to transport him to business meetings, foreign shopping trips etc. 

On a particular excursion in 1967, near the Yemeni border, Mohammed bin Laden’s pilot made a miscalculation, stalled the plane, falling 500 ft to his, and his passenger’s', deaths.

When Mohammed bin Laden died he left behind a $150m construction company which had many contracts, including in Jerusalem where Mohammed had a house which was seized during the war in Israel in 1967.

The company was left to Salem bin Laden, Osama’s elder brother. At the time he lived in Gloucester Road, London, having just finished school. He was an eccentric, and performed in a rock band called The Echoes.

He had acquired his Father’s business intuitions, but was reluctant to adopt the kind of culture which surrounded top CEO’s at the time. One time he was dining with a CEO from a Fortune 1000 company who ordered an expensive bottle of red wine. When the waiter brought the wine over bin Laden’s business guest began to complain about the wine’s taste, purposely belittling the restaurant staff. Salem, pretending to use the bathroom of the restaurant went in to the back room where the staff were, requested the waiter transfer the wine into a different bottle and serve it. When the waiter did this bin Laden’s guest exclaimed that this was the proper wine and that the waiter ought to have done his job properly to begin with. Soon after Salem ended their business relationship.

In the 80s him and his now notorious brother would collaborate, and though having different attitudes to life, religion, had very meaningful relations. In May 88 the two went to Texas to fly ultra light aircraft, and despite Salem’s skill as a pilot himself, flew into some powerlines, fell and died.

After, Osama bin Laden went back to Afghanistan and two months later formed al Qaeda.