Bin Laden's Mother Told of Attack

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/02/2001 at 12:42 PM EDT

Immediately prior to the Sept. 11 attacks on America, Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden called his mother in Syria and told her to expect "big news" that would prevent their continued communication for some time, NBC News reported on Tuesday. Bin Laden contacted his adoptive mother, Al-Kalifa bin Laden, on Sept. 9, telling her: "In two days you're going to hear big news, and you're not going to hear from me for a while," said NBC. The New York Times, quoting a senior foreign official who said the account was obtained from an interrogation of bin Laden's extended family in Saudi Arabia, also carries a similar report in its Tuesday's editions. Bin Laden is America's prime suspect as the mastermind behind the assault on America that has left close to nearly 6,000 dead or missing and presumed dead. NBC said that bin Laden, 44, is believed to be the only son of a woman from Syria or Palestine. But he was raised by Al-Kalifa bin Laden, one of Saudi construction magnate Mohammed bin Laden's four wives. If these reports about the phone call are correct, they would represent the clearest evidence to date tying bin Laden to the attacks. According to The Times, bin Laden's mother, a member of the Alawite sect in Syria, took the call while she was vacationing in Damascus, the capital, where she and bin Laden have met before. She then reportedly learned of the attacks on Sept. 12, after returning home to Saudi Arabia. The official also told The Times that members of bin Laden's family were being cooperative in the investigation, and that bin Laden's mother "is not a bad person."