Summary

Chapter 3 begins by briefly describing Zawahiri’s presence in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, noting that the Egyptian likely met Osama bin Laden for the first time there. The majority of the chapter relates the recent history of the bin Laden family, beginning with Osama’s father, Mohammed bin Laden.

Mohammed was born in Yemen, but immigrated to Saudi Arabia at the age of 23. At the time, Saudi Arabia was not a single country, but rather a collection of warring tribes. Shortly after, the country was united under the rule of Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal al-Saud. Mohammed bin Laden began a career as a laborer shortly after the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia led to a massive construction boom. Mohammed was noted for his skill in construction and honest leadership and soon formed his own construction company with sponsorship from that...