This interview, conducted by ABC's John Miller, was held at bin Laden's remote mountaintop camp in southern Afghanistan two months before the truck bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa. (Bin Laden had the interview recorded by his own camera and an associate gave a copy of the tape to FRONTLINE.)

This timeline charts the major events and turning points.


A source close to bin Laden (who would like to remain anonymous) gave this document to FRONTLINE and we could not verify independently all of the information contained in it. While some of it is true, other parts run contrary to accounts given by other reliable sources. That said, this document does provide important details about bin Laden and his family life.


This information is from a report dealing with prominent Saudi families of Yemeni origin. Although FRONTLINE cannot vouch for its accuracy, it does come from French intelligence sources.


ABC reporter John Miller recounts his hour-long interview with Osama bin Laden at his camp on a mountaintop in southern Afghanistan in May of 1998. It took place a little more than two months before the truckbombings of the two U.S. embassies in East Africa.


This selection is culled from various communiques, edicts and U.S., European and Middle East press interviews that he's given from 1995 through 1998. It includes excerpts from bin Laden's February 1998 press conference in which he called for attacks against all Americans and announced al Qaeda was merging with 11 other militant Islamic groups to form the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Crusaders and Jews.


The U.S. government charges that Osama bin Laden heads an international terrorist network called "Al Qaeda," an Arabic word meaning 'the base.' Here is a summary of the U.S. allegations about this network.