Bin La ‧ den, O ‧ s ‧ ama /bɪn ˈlɑːdn, əʊˈsɑːmə/ BrE AmE
(1956–) a ↑ businessman and political leader originally from Saudi Arabia, who is regarded by the governments of many countries, especially the US and Britain, as a ↑ terrorist . He founded al-Qaeda in 1988 and operated a military camp in Afghanistan, training people to take part in the ↑ jihad (=holy war) against the US. American officials believe that he is responsible for many terrorist attacks, including the attack on the ↑ World Trade Center in New York City in 2001. Bin Laden is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan. ⇨ ↑ al-Qaeda