Late al-Qaeda leader's half sister and
stepmother reportedly killed after plane
crashes during landing at UK airport.
01 Aug 2015 03:00 GMT | Osama bin Laden ,
Al-Qaeda , United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia
The plane reportedly crashed into a car
auction site next to the airport [EPA]
Four people have been killed after a private
jet crashed in southern England, reportedly
including deceased al-Qaeda leader Osama
bin Laden's half sister and stepmother.
The private plane owned by the bin Laden
family overshot the runway when trying to
land at Blackbushe airport in Hampshire on
Friday morning. The plane crashed into a car
auction site next to the airport.
Without confirming the identities of the
victims, the Saudi Ambassador to Britain,
Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud,
offered condolences on the embassy's
official Twitter account to the bin Laden
family, a prominent Saudi clan with vast
business interests.
"His royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin
Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, the ambassador of the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the
United Kingdom, offered his condolences to
the sons of the late Mohammed bin Laden
and their relations for the grave incident of
the crash of the plane carrying members of
the family at Balckbushe airport," he said in
the tweet.
Saudi media reported that the family
members included Osama bin Laden's half
sister and stepmother.
A spokeswoman for the British police told
the Reuters news agency: "There were no
survivors, unfortunately. There were four
people onboard including the pilot", but she
did not provide their identities.
The Saudi embassy said it was working with
British authorities to investigate the incident
and to ensure the speedy handover of the
bodies for funerals and burials in the
kingdom.
Osama bin Laden was shot dead by US
forces in Pakistan in 2011, ending a ten-year
manhunt for the world's most wanted man,
accused of being the mastermind of the
September 11 attacks on the United States.
In those attacks, planes were hijacked and
flown into New York City's World Trade
Center towers and the Pentagon.
Before his death, the last known sighting of
bin Laden by anyone other than his very
close entourage was in late 2001 - as he
prepared to flee his stronghold in
Afghanistan.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

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