The former Saudi citizen was expelled from Sudan in 1996 amid American pressure on the country. AFP
The former Saudi citizen was expelled from Sudan in 1996 amid American pressure on the country. AFP

1994 - Osama bin Laden stripped of Saudi citizenship

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Updated 22 April 2025
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1994 - Osama bin Laden stripped of Saudi citizenship

1994 - Osama bin Laden stripped of Saudi citizenship
  • Decision was a sign of the Kingdom’s firm stance against terrorism, which continues to this day

RIYADH: The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 created an environment conducive to the rise of numerous terrorist organizations. 

Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born dissident, emerged as a key figure during this period, exploiting the circumstances of the invasion, and his own financial resources, to enhance his position as founder and leader of Al-Qaeda, one of the largest armed groups that promoted jihadist ideology. 

Bin Laden sought to target not only the West but also Islamic countries that did not comply with his radical positions and views. 

Following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, Bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia. Encouraged by what he perceived as his accomplishments during the war, he began preaching in mosques, inciting action against regional governments and calling for jihad, or a “holy war” against several countries. 

This stark divergence in the positions of Bin Laden and the Saudi government caused a rift, resulting in political and security restrictions on his movements, and efforts to curb his power and interference in Saudi affairs at both the regional and international levels. 

How we wrote it




Arab News provided six-page coverage of Osama bin Laden’s assassination, headlined “Bin Laden’s Luck Finally Runs Out.”

Recognizing the serious threat his extremist ideology posed to national and regional security, in 1991 Saudi Arabia expelled him from the country. Bin Laden subsequently moved to Sudan, where he continued to expand his group’s activities, including its involvement in global conflicts and acts of terrorism. 

In 1994, Saudi Arabia revoked his citizenship and froze his assets, forcing him to rely on external sources for funding. In 1996, he moved his operation to Afghanistan after he was expelled from Sudan following US pressure on the country’s government. Riyadh began coordinating with allied nations in an attempt to track Bin Laden’s movements and contain his terrorist activities. 

The revocation of his citizenship reflected the Kingdom’s pragmatic recognition of the threat he posed to both national and global security. At the time, though, Saudi authorities faced significant criticism from some international media outlets and Western human rights organizations, which viewed the decision to revoke citizenship as a breach of human rights, portraying it as a repressive measure to apply to individuals. 

Despite the criticism, the Saudis remained firm in their stance, regarding it as essential to distance the Kingdom from a figure who had become controversial worldwide, and to remove any association with the radical ideologies he promoted. 

Additionally, they sought to send a clear message to the world that neither Bin Laden nor his actions represented the beliefs of the Saudi state or its people. 

Key Dates

  • 1

    Osama bin Laden born in Riyadh, one of more than 50 children of a millionaire businessman. Accounts of his exact date of birth vary.

  • 2

    Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.

    Timeline Image Dec. 26, 1979

  • 3

    Bin Laden establishes Al-Qaeda from a network of Arab and other foreign veterans of the US-backed Afghan insurgency against the Soviet Union.

  • 4

    Soviet forces leave Afghanistan and Bin Laden subsequently returns to Saudi Arabia.

    Timeline Image Feb. 15, 1989

  • 5

    Bin Laden is expelled from Saudi Arabia and travels to Sudan.

  • 6

    Saudi Arabia, angered by Bin Laden’s propaganda against its rulers, revokes his citizenship and freezes his remaining assets in the country.

    Timeline Image April 9, 1994

  • 7

    Forced to leave Sudan following US pressure on the country’s government, he returns to Afghanistan.

  • 8

    US President Bill Clinton names Bin Laden as America’s top enemy, holds him responsible for the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

  • 9

    Three hijacked planes crash into major US landmarks; two destroy the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and one damages the Pentagon in Washington. A fourth hijacked plane crashes in a field in Pennsylvania when passengers fight back against the hijackers. Bin Laden says collapse of Twin Towers exceeded Al-Qaeda’s expectations.

    Timeline Image Sept. 11, 2001

  • 10

    US President George W. Bush declares Bin Laden “Wanted: Dead or Alive” for the 9/11 attacks.

    Timeline Image Sept. 17, 2001

  • 11

    US attacks Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, which hosts Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.

  • 12

    Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban collapses when the group surrenders Kandahar and its leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, flees the city.

  • 13

    Bin Laden is killed in Abbottabad, 60 km north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

    Timeline Image May 1, 2011

  • 14

    Saudi Arabia revokes citizenship of Bin Laden’s son, Hamza, a day after the US offers $1 million for information about his whereabouts.

Seven years after his citizenship was revoked, when it became clear that he and his Al-Qaeda operatives were responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the US, the voices advocating for his human rights fell silent. 

By expelling Bin Laden and adopting a strong stance against extremist ideologies, Saudi Arabia had emerged as a reliable partner in the global war on terrorism, through the restriction of financial aid to individuals and organizations suspected of supporting terrorism, and increased counterterrorism cooperation with international partners. 

In the three decades since then, it has become evident that Saudi Arabia’s handling of Bin Laden was not an isolated case but part of a broader strategy aimed at eradicating extremism at its roots. 

Successive Saudi leaderships have upheld a firm, zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism and worked to eliminate extremist elements within the Kingdom. This included shutting down sources of jihadist and extremist financing, restrictions on financial aid to individuals or institutions suspected of supporting terrorism, and the implementation of internal programs to combat extremist ideology. 

Through the multifaceted approach it adopted to address the activities of Bin Laden, the Kingdom positioned itself as a model for counterterrorism efforts, and strengthened its leadership role in global initiatives to combat extremists while dismantling their financial and media support networks. 

The pivotal international role Saudi Arabia plays in efforts to combat terrorism was evident as recently as last year when authorities in the Kingdom said they warned German counterparts about Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen and his extremist views. 




Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden during shooting training at al-Faruq base in Afghanistan. Video grab/AFP

The warnings fell on deaf ears, however, and on Dec. 20, 2024, Al-Abdulmohsen drove his car into crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg in an attack that killed six people and injured at least 299. 

In March 2019, 25 years after revoking Bin Laden’s citizenship, Saudi authorities did the same to one of his sons, Hamza. He sought to revive Al-Qaeda, having embraced many of his father’s extremist ideologies, including incitement to hatred and violence, and the recruitment of young Muslims to join extremist groups. He directed his rhetoric against Arab regimes and the world at large. 

Saudi authorities announced their decision the day after the US State Department offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the capture of Hamza, describing him as “an emerging Al-Qaeda leader” who “threatened attacks against the United States and allies.” 

On August 1, 2019, US media reported that Hamza was killed in an American airstrike. Citing unnamed US intelligence officials, the reports offered little information about the location or date of his death. In a brief statement on Sept. 14, President Donald Trump confirmed Hamza had been killed in a US “counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region.” He gave no further details. Al-Qaeda did not confirm the death. 

In September last year, media reports claimed that intelligence documents suggest Hamza might have survived the attack thought to have killed him and was secretly running Al-Qaeda operations in Afghanistan with his brother, Abdullah. 

The accuracy of the reports remains unclear but the uncertainty means the question of whether Al-Qaeda’s threat to the region and the West is truly over has yet to be resolved. 

  • Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). 


‘We are not afraid’: Pakistanis at India-Pakistan border ceremony amid Kashmir tensions

‘We are not afraid’: Pakistanis at India-Pakistan border ceremony amid Kashmir tensions
Updated 7 min 47 sec ago
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‘We are not afraid’: Pakistanis at India-Pakistan border ceremony amid Kashmir tensions

‘We are not afraid’: Pakistanis at India-Pakistan border ceremony amid Kashmir tensions
  • Soldiers from both nations perform aggressive marches, avoid traditional handshake as emotions run high over standoff
  • Border crossing closed after attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Pakistan, which denies charge

At the Wagah-Attari border, which marks the final boundary between the nuclear-armed nations of India and Pakistan, the atmosphere is charged with patriotism. The sound of drums can be heard as soldiers perform a choreographed, ceremonial march, showcasing both countries’ pride.
However, the usual symbol of cooperation — a handshake between the two countries’ soldiers — is missing, and the iron gates that separate the two sides remain locked. This is in the context of tense relations between India and Pakistan, heightened by a deadly attack in Kashmir.
Despite the tension, people gather to express their feelings, celebrate their national identities, and watch the dramatic flag-lowering ceremony that has become a symbolic ritual at the border. Visitors on the Pakistani side say they are not afraid of the soaring tensions and for them, it is business as usual.
“We don’t feel any such tension. We feel that we are as safe as we used to be before,” Muhammad Luqman, a Pakistani teacher who was visiting the Wagah border, told AFP.
“The reason for this is that we feel our country’s defense is in strong hands. We don’t have any sort of doubt or fear.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military “full operational freedom” to respond to the attack as public anger swelled in his country after New Delhi accused Pakistan of involvement in the April 22 attack that killed 26 tourists. Islamabad has denied the allegations and called for a credible international probe into it.
On Monday, Pakistan carried out a second missile test in three days after saying it was preparing for an incursion by India.
The two nuclear-armed countries have exchanged gunfire along their de facto border in Kashmir, and there have been fears that the latest crisis between the nuclear-armed rivals, who have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, could spiral into a military conflict.
“Pakistan is a brave nation. We live near the Wagah border. If there is any danger, we will be first picked up from the village, then it will be the turn of the people of the city, because we live in the [border] village,” said Muhammad Abu Bakar, a student.
“The villagers should be afraid, but the villagers are not afraid.”
The flare-up between India and Pakistan has once again alarmed world and regional powers, who have called for restraint and urged the two neighbors to resolve the crisis through dialogue.


Rwanda in ‘initial’ talks with US over migration deal

Rwanda in ‘initial’ talks with US over migration deal
Updated 2 min 36 sec ago
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Rwanda in ‘initial’ talks with US over migration deal

Rwanda in ‘initial’ talks with US over migration deal
  • Great Lakes nation — often viewed as an island of stability in a turbulent region — previously made a similar multi-million deal with Britain to receive deported illegal migrants
  • FM Olivier Nduhungirehe: ‘Those reports are true, we are engaged in discussions with the Government of the United States of America’

KIGALI: Rwanda and Washington are in the early stages of talks to receive immigrants from the United States, the Rwandan foreign minister told state media.
Washington has been pushing a mass deportation drive, with President Donald Trump’s administration negotiating highly controversial arrangements to send migrants to third countries.
The Great Lakes nation — often viewed as an island of stability in a turbulent region — previously made a similar multi-million deal with Britain to receive deported illegal migrants. However, it was scrapped immediately after a new government was elected last year.
Foreign minister Olivier Nduhungirehe confirmed earlier reports that Rwanda was among countries talking to Washington over a migrant deal, following a question on state TV on Sunday.
“Those reports are true, we are engaged in discussions with the Government of the United States of America,” he said.
Noting the similar agreement with the British, Nduhungirehe said such a deal “is not something new to us.”
However, while he confirmed that the two nations were engaged in “ongoing” talks, he said “they are not yet conclusive to determine the direction this will take.”
“I would say the discussions are in their initial stages, but we continue to talk about this problem of migrants,” he said, without giving further details.
When contacted by AFP about the talks he said: “You will be informed when the discussions will be finalized.”
Washington’s deal with El Salvador has created a furor, notably after a US official acknowledged that authorities mistakenly expelled one Salvadoran man but that the United States could not bring him back.
The Kigali-London deal was also controversial, with the UK’s Supreme Court ruling that sending migrants to Rwanda through the agreement would be illegal because it “would expose them to a real risk of ill-treatment.”
The tiny nation of roughly 13 million people has been criticized by rights groups over its human rights record and increasingly diminished freedom of speech.
Rwanda has also faced mounting pressure over its involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the east of which has been re-engulfed in conflict after a lightning strike by a Rwandan-backed military group.


Pakistan says won’t escalate tensions with India, vows to defend itself in case of any ‘adventure’

Pakistan says won’t escalate tensions with India, vows to defend itself in case of any ‘adventure’
Updated 18 min 25 sec ago
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Pakistan says won’t escalate tensions with India, vows to defend itself in case of any ‘adventure’

Pakistan says won’t escalate tensions with India, vows to defend itself in case of any ‘adventure’
  • The statement comes amid fears that India may carry out limited strikes against Pakistan over an attack in Kashmir that 26 tourists
  • New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing the attack, Islamabad has rejected the charge and called for a credible investigation into it

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said on Monday his country would not make any move that could escalate prevailing tensions with India, but it would give a “befitting reply” in case of any “adventure” by New Delhi.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists on April 22. Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, taken diplomatic measures against each other, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth” and there have been fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan. A Pakistani minister last week said Islamabad had “credible intelligence” India was planning to attack Pakistan.
Speaking to journalists alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Dar said Pakistan had nothing to do with the Pahalgam incident and its offer to participate in a credible international probe was still there, adding that Islamabad would demonstrate “full restraint.”
“We will demonstrate patience, we will exercise full restraint and we will not be the first one to take any escalatory move,” he told reporters in Islamabad, following his meeting with the Iranian FM.
“However, if India takes any adventure, any escalatory move, then we will give a befitting reply. So, that’s where we stand.”
FM Araghchi said he discussed the current regional situation, particularly Pakistan-India tensions after the Pahalgam attack and Pakistan’s stance on it as well as the Tehran-United States nuclear talks with his Pakistani counterpart.
The diplomatic flare-up and exchanges of small arms fire between India and Pakistan across their de facto border in Kashmir has alarmed world and regional powers, who have called for restraint and urged the two neighbors to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
Iran has offered to mediate the crisis between Pakistan and India, with Araghchi saying his country was “ready to use its good offices” to resolve the standoff.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from the former British colonial rule in 1947.
Dar said Pakistan had assured foreign capitals and friendly nations that it would not be the first one to strike, reiterating PM Shehbaz Sharif’s offer for a credible probe into the April 22 attack.
“Our offer is very much there,” he added.


Thousands of people gather near Buckingham Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day

Thousands of people gather near Buckingham Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day
Updated 24 min 35 sec ago
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Thousands of people gather near Buckingham Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day

Thousands of people gather near Buckingham Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day
  • Britain started its commemorations of V-E Day three days early, because Monday is a public holiday in the UK

LONDON: Thousands of people lined the roads around the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace on Monday as British and allied troops paraded past at the start of four days of pageantry to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
After Big Ben tolled at the stroke of noon, actor Timothy Spall recited the victory speech that Winston Churchill delivered to a roaring crowd in central London on May 8, 1945. Britain started its commemorations of V-E Day three days early, because Monday is a public holiday in the UK.
The Cenotaph, the nation’s war memorial, was covered with Union Jack flags. It was the first time that the memorial had been draped in the flags since it was unveiled by King George V in 1920, two years after the end of World War I.
About 1,300 members of the British armed forces are being joined by troops from the United Kingdom’s NATO allies and Ukraine — a nod to the present war in Europe. The procession started in Parliament Square and swept past Buckingham Palace, where King Charles III took the salute.
Maria Crook, 69, who wore a hat with red, white and blue ribbons, traveled from Devon to London to watch the procession.
“I think it’s extremely important to pay our respects and honor those who have died for us,” she said.


In Dhaka, Makkah Route facility eases Bangladeshi pilgrims’ Hajj journey

In Dhaka, Makkah Route facility eases Bangladeshi pilgrims’ Hajj journey
Updated 31 min 47 sec ago
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In Dhaka, Makkah Route facility eases Bangladeshi pilgrims’ Hajj journey

In Dhaka, Makkah Route facility eases Bangladeshi pilgrims’ Hajj journey
  • Around 87,000 Bangladeshis will be going for Hajj in 2025
  • Special pilgrimage flights from Dhaka began on April 29

Dhaka: Bangladeshi pilgrims have welcomed the Hajj immigration procedures under the Makkah Route initiative, which are easing the process for tens of thousands of pilgrims departing for Saudi Arabia from the nation’s main international airport.

Most of the pilgrims are departing from Dhaka under the flagship pre-travel program.

The Kingdom launched the initiative in 2019 to help pilgrims meet all the visa, customs and health requirements at the airport of origin and save them long hours of waiting before and upon arrival in Saudi Arabia.

This year, Hajj is expected to start on June 4, and special pilgrimage flights from the Bangladeshi capital began on April 29.

“The Makkah Route initiative … It’s very pleasant for the pilgrims of Bangladesh. It is, of course, time-saving and being done comfortably,” Hajj director Mohammad Lokman Hossain told Arab News over the weekend.

“They didn’t have to wait in a long queue and it’s very beneficial to the pilgrims.”

Bangladesh is among seven Muslim-majority countries — including Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, Turkiye and Cote d’Ivoire — where Saudi Arabia is operating its Makkah Route initiative.

One of the most populous Muslim-majority countries, Bangladesh was granted a quota of 127,000 pilgrims in 2025. But only about 87,000 will be going this year due to high inflation and rising cost of airfares to the Middle East.

The pilgrims appreciated the way the Saudi facility was organized at the airport as they prepared to board their flights to the Kingdom.

“We have completed the immigration formalities very easily. There was no delay, no waiting. It’s like we came and everything was done,” Mohammad Ruhul Kuddus, a businessman from Dhaka, told Arab News.

For Oaliur Reza, the immigration process took only a minute.

“I had no idea about these services. I just found out about it for the first time and I had a very good experience,” Reza said.

“Just within a minute, I passed the immigration, and I liked this service the most.”

Abdul Awal, a businessman from the city of Feni, recalled how different it had been the first time he performed Hajj, when the Makkah Route initiative was not yet introduced.

“I like the current system a lot. It made things easier. The difficulties of the pilgrims have been reduced now significantly compared to the years before (the Makkah Route initiative),” Awal said.

“There were plenty of computerized service counters here for the pilgrims. Praise be to God, it’s very good.”