Government seeks DNA from bin Laden's family

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- The government is seeking samples of DNA from Osama bin Laden's family to determine if human remains found in Afghanistan belong to the terrorist leader, law enforcement and other U.S. officials said Wednesday.

Remains have been collected from a number of locations, including the site of a Feb. 4 Predator missile strike on a meeting of suspected al-Qaida leaders, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The government has been seeking the DNA samples from bin Laden's family for months and stepped up the effort following the CIA's Predator strike, one official said.

It is unclear exactly what avenues are being used. A State Department official said no request for DNA from bin Laden's family was delivered to Saudi Arabia through State Department channels. Nor was a senior military official aware of any such effort.

In theory, it wouldn't take much of a sample. A blood specimen, a scraping from the inside of the mouth, even a hair follicle could provide enough DNA for a match.

Who from bin Laden's family might provide a sample is also unclear, although there are many candidates. While Osama bin Laden is believed to be the only child of the union of Mohammed Awad bin Laden and a Syrian woman, he has dozens of half-brothers and half-sisters.

Samples from his mother's side of the family could provide the most certain match, though those from his father's side could provide a close match as well.

Bin Laden's father, who is dead, had 54 children by several wives. The family runs a prominent construction conglomerate based in Saudi Arabia, and has publicly disowned Osama bin Laden for many years.

A New York spokesman for that part of bin Laden's family, Tim Metz, said he was unaware of the government making any formal request to family members for samples. He suggested samples could be obtained from hospitals or other sources.

Bin Laden's Syrian mother apparently now has little association with the bin Laden family. She is believed to live in Saudi Arabia and to have remarried and had children by that marriage.

Requests for DNA samples may be a culturally sensitive matter in Saudi Arabia, where family privacy is important.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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