3/15/1996

Regarding Osama bin Laden, “The Saudis also tried the velvet glove, dispatching members of his family to beg him to apologize to King Fahd and return to Saudi Arabia. ‘They sent my mother, my uncle, and my brothers on almost nine visits to Khartoum [Sudan],‘ he later told an interviewer. As late as March 1996, the Saudi government offered to restore his citizenship and his personal property, and allow him to return ‘in dignity’ if he would renounce his denunciation of King Fahd. They also offered $500 million dollars that would go to his family, but bin Laden rejected the offers.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]

 – Roy Gutman, How We Missed the Story, Pages 86-87