The Most Wanted Man In The World

He lives a life fired by fury and faith. Why terror's $250 million man loathes the U.S.

Things might have turned out differently for Osama bin Laden--and for the denizens of southern Manhattan--if the tall, thin, soft-spoken 44-year-old hadn't been born rich, or if he'd been born rich but not a second-rank Saudi. It might have been another story if, while studying engineering in college, the young man had drawn a different teacher for Islamic Studies rather than a charismatic Palestinian lecturer who fired his religious fervor. Things might have been different if the Soviet Union hadn't invaded Afghanistan, if Saddam Hussein hadn't stolen Kuwait, or if U.S. forces hadn't retreated so hastily after a beating in Somalia,...

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