Bin Laden’s family killed in plane crash

THE sister and stepmother of Osama bin Laden were on holiday in the UK when their private jet crashed into a car auction site while trying to land at a Hampshire airport, killing them both.

The plane had made regular trips to Britain in the past two years, leading to speculation that members of the former al-Qaeda leader’s family were frequent visitors.

Bin Laden’s stepmother, Rajaa Hashim, and his sister Sana, who worked in an orphanage in Saudi Arabia, were killed, along with Sana’s husband Zuhair Hashim and the Jordanian pilot, when the plane crashed while trying to land at Blackbushe Airport near Yateley on Friday.

Hampshire police said the family were “visiting the UK on vacation”.

Industry sources said the Embraer Phenom 300 jet, owned by the bin Laden familyrun Salem Aviation company, had twice flown to southern England in the days before the crash, as well as making trips here in March and at regular intervals since 2013, often landing at Blackbushe and Farnborough airports.

On the day of the crash the plane left Blackbushe for Milan’s Malpensa airport in northern Italy at about 10am, before returning later that afternoon, crashing into the car auction centre shortly after 3pm.

The source said: “That plane, which is registered in Saudi Arabia, was a frequent visitor to the UK and has been since the end of 2013. It flew to the UK on July 28 and 29 and then flew out and back from MilanMalpensa two days later, on the 31st.”

The bin Ladens, who run a huge construction conglomerate in Saudi Arabia, are not known to have any significant business interests in the UK, but London is a popular destination for many wealthy Saudis.

Sana bin Laden was said to be a respected philanthropist, supporting local orphanages and sponsoring children’s education in Saudi Arabia. No one on the ground, where cars were being sold, was killed or injured. — The Sunday Telegraph