A Saudi named Muhammed Saleem Saeed Braikan (or Buraikan), who is on the updated list of the Kingdom’s 47 most wanted terrorists, married a daughter (she was just 12 years old at the time) of Osama bin Laden, and is well tuned into al Qaeda’s operational plans and may be aware of bin Laden’s location in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area. The except below has been translated from Arabic and is from Al Hayah:
The sources said Braikan (40 years old) [note, INTERPOL lists Braikan as being 36 years old] left the kingdom illegally in 1997 and went to Afghanistan where he joined “Al-Qa’ida” and became close to Bin Ladin and his companions in most of his moves. They added that he married Bin Ladin’s daughter Fatimah who had not yet reached the age of 13 and continued to work as her father’s bodyguard. They pointed out that he was absent from her for long periods of time since his job required him to stay for long periods in the caves and rugged mountainous areas to guard Bin Ladin.
The sources went on to say that Braikan knows about the organization’s plans in Afghanistan and its branches as one of those who are close to Bin Ladin and knows about his hideouts and health conditions following reports that he was killed.
The report notes Braikan was thought to have been killed in a “US missile strike” but the report was never confirmed. It is not clear if the strike occurred in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Braikan clearly is close to the inner circles of al Qaeda; not just any jihadi gets to marry bin Laden’s daughter.
Also, Fatima bin Laden was one of Osama’s family members placed into protective custody by Iran after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Braikan was among the hundreds of al Qaeda fighters sheltered by Iran’s Qods Force.
Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
3 Comments
Caratacus10ad,
Actually I think I found the answer: Saudi Arabia revoke Osama and Co.’s citizenship in 2003… So my guess is this allows the Saudis not to claim ownership…
Just glad Fatima could meet up with her mother and siblings. No one can judge no mater how awful it might be. God can judge because he can read our hearts and God is love. May God ( Jehovah) bring peace to earth.
Fatima (1983) married Muhammed Saleem Saeed Braikan AKA Buraikan, a Saudi fighter at age 12, in 1995. He died in the air attacks on Afghanistan on August 20, 1998. She is remarried to and lives with her husband and daughter (Najwa, 2009) in Tehran.