Bin Laden’s Son

Son of the world’s most wanted man, Omar Bin Laden says in a video interview that his father is more moderate than many jihadists and talks of his own affinity for western culture. “They are a striking couple: Omar Bin Laden, 28, and his wife, Zaina Al Sabah Bin Laden, 54. He is stocky with dark hair tied back in a ponytail, she sporting the look of an aging rock star’s wife, long, straight black hair and dramatic eyeliner. He bears a striking resemblance to his notorious father, the world’s most wanted man, with the same eyes and half-smile. She is outspoken and outgoing, with a thick British accent. He is quiet and thoughtful, choosing his words carefully in an English he has yet to master. They met in 2006 while horseback riding by the pyramids in Egypt. He noticed her riding from afar, and thought he might like to marry her. In her version of the story their first flirt started over a set of snapshots, until she offered to photograph him alone. They always had a chaperone, she says, until she suggested they marry. He said yes.Omar and Zaina bin Laden are roaming the Middle East without a fixed address these days. Omar makes the most of creature comforts he was denied as a son of Osama Bin Laden, who shunned air conditioning and modern medicine. And he gets to embrace a western entertainment that would have been unthinkable in that household. ‘I love Jim Carrey movies so much, and George Clooney,’ Omar said. ‘I just saw the movie ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats,’ and it has very good message. The message of the movie is be peaceful, even if you have the power to do serious missions. Do it in a peaceful way.'”