Son of bin Laden
The week's news at a glance.
Somewhere in Iran
Saad bin Laden, one of Osama bin Laden’s oldest sons, is among a group of top al Qaida leaders operating from Iran, The Washington Post reported this week. The 24-year-old was in contact with an al Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia just days before a May suicide bombing that killed 35 people, including eight Americans. Saad and the other al Qaida leaders are protected by the Jerusalem Force, an elite Iranian security unit that answers directly to the ayatollahs and collaborates with foreign terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia has tried unsuccessfully to get Iran to extradite Saad bin Laden to face charges in the Riyadh bombing. “Those people are in Iran, and somebody must be helping them,” said Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar. “The question is, Who?”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff