Who is Osama Bin Laden?

He is a Saudi financier who recruited and led Arab volunteers for the 'jihad' against the Soviet invaders in Afghanistan. Since that war, he has sent his "Arab Afghans" to fight in Bosnia, Chechnya, Kashmir and other conflicts involving Muslims. But he also declared a 'jihad' against the United States, declaring it the duty of all Muslims to kill American soldiers and civilians. Bin Laden, of course, has no religous standing, and his religious rationalization of terrorism is fiercely rejected by mainstream Islam. The fugitive Saudi has been accused of authoring a number of attacks on Americans, most notably the 1998 embassy bombings in east Africa. He's also a prime suspect in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole.