Bin Laden's Family Deported; FBI Issues Warning on Revenge Attacks
Former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden's family, which includes his three widows and 11 children, is being deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, CBS New York reported that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued a warning against potential terrorist revenge attacks marking the upcoming anniversary of bin Laden's death.
Bin Laden had evaded capture by U.S. and international forces for close to a decade for his role in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, when he was found hiding at a compound in the hill town of Abbottabad, Pakistan and shot dead by Navy SEALs on May 2, 2011. His family members, who were in Pakistan with him illegally, are now being sent back to their native Saudi Arabia, and his three widows were sentenced to 45 days in prison, Reuters reported.
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"The plane carrying Amal and (her brother) Zakariya al-Sadeh and the rest of the family is heading to (the Saudi Red Sea city of) Jeddah," shared former Yemen Ambassador to Pakistan Abdo Ali Abdulrahman with Reuters on Friday. "This chapter that has continued for a year is now closed."
It still largely remains a mystery how bin Laden had managed to hide for so long from U.S.-led forces, who had followed unconfirmed rumors and speculations about his location for many years. A Yemeni Foreign Ministry source speculated that his widows may be asked to shed light on his whereabouts during all these years, and how he moved from location to location.
U.S. officials will also be interested in finding out just how much, if at all, bin Laden was aided by members of Pakistan's military and intelligence service, although the South Asian country denies being aware in any way of the former al-Qaida leader's presence on its soil.
It was reported that the plane carrying bin Laden's family left Pakistan Friday morning, and was expected to touch down in Saudi Arabia later in the day.
