EFL
The family of Osama bin Laden has asked the Saudi monarchy for permission to change its surname. The on-line newspaper Arabian Business reports that "the relatives of the 'sheikh of terror' no longer want to be recognised as belonging to the bin Laden family and have therefore asked to change the surname on their passports." The royal family is thought to have approved the request, according to the newspaper, which it describes it as "unprecedented".
The family itself revealed that it had made the request to journalist John Bradley, who first got to know them while he was editor of the English language Saudi newspaper Arab News and bin Laden's nephews told him how they had left the United States immediately after September 11 on a special flight which took them back to Saudi Arabia. |