By Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.
After years of speculation, the rumors finally have been confirmed.Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were not the only top al Qaeda operatives to spend some time in the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden made the trek from Saudi Arabia to the land of the free and the home of the brave in 1978 with his first wife Najwa and his son Omar.
The account of the trip is reported by Najwa bin Laden, Osama’s first wife, in Growing Up Bin Laden, soon to be published by St. Martin’s Press.
Najwa describes towing her two babies to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she remained while her husband headed off for some shadowy business in Los Angeles with Abdullah Azzam.
Azzam, one of the founders of al Qaeda, established a recruiting office for the jihad in the al-Farooq Mosque at 512 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. In a 1988 videotape, Azzam can be seen and heard telling a large gathering of black Muslims that “Blood and martyrdom are the only ways to create a Muslim society.” His remarks are punctuated by rapturous cries of “Amen” and “Right On, Brother” from the audience.
In the most telling section of the book, Najwa writes:
One evening he [Osama] arrived home [in Saudi Arabia] with a surprise announcement: ’Najwa, We are going to travel to the United States. Our boys are going with us.’
I was shocked, to tell you the truth…Pregnant, and busy with two babies, I remember few details of our travel, other than we passed through London before flying to a place I had never heard of, a state in America called Indiana. Osama told me that he was meeting with a man by the name of Abdullah Azzam. Since my husband’s business was not my business, I did not ask questions.
I was worried about Abdul Rahman because he had become quite ill on the trip and was even suffering with a high fever. Osama arranged for us to see a doctor in Indianapolis. I relaxed after that kindly physician assured us that Abdul Rahman would soon be fine.
…I am sometimes questioned about my personal opinion of the country and its people. This is surprisingly difficult to answer. We were there for only two weeks, and for one of those weeks, Osama was away in Los Angeles to meet with some men in that city. The boys and I were left behind in Indiana with a girlfriend whom I would rather not name…
My girlfriend was gracious and guided me on short trips…We even went into a big shopping mall in Indianapolis…
I came to believe that Americans were gentle and nice, people easy to deal with. As far as the country itself goes, my husband and I did not hate America, yet we did not love it.
There was one incident that reminded me that some Americans are unaware of other cultures. When the time came for us to leave America, Osama and I, along with our two boys, waited for our departure at the airport in Indiana. I was sitting quietly in my chair, relaxing, grateful that our boys were quiet….
I saw an American man gawking at me. I knew without asking that his unwelcome attention had been snagged by my black Saudi costume…
I took a side glance at Osama and saw that he was intently studying the curious man. I knew that my husband would never allow the man to approach me…
When my husband and I discussed the incident, we were both more amused than offended. That man gave us a good laugh, as it was clear he had no knowledge of veiled women…
We returned to Saudi Arabia none the worse for our experiences.
Whether Mr. Bin Laden made his way to Brooklyn and the al-Farooq Mosque is unknown. But the mosque came to raise more than $20 million for bin Laden and sent hundreds of recruits to al Qaeda training camps throughout the Middle East.
Mr. Bin Laden also spent considerable time in South America, where he established cells of his terrorist network in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.
Source: The Last Crusade
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