# Where is bin Laden's wealth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349 "2001-09-13T14:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349/1 "2001-09-13T14:52:45Z")
I searched on this and couldn’t find anything. Presumably, he doesn’t keep a chest full of gold. Saudi Arabia froze his assets there when he left. I wouldn’t trust an Afghani Bank with my money. So, where is he keeping it all? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349/2 "2001-09-13T20:42:20Z")
Please forgive this bump, but this question seems a very important one to me. One of the best ways to stop anybody is to stop their resources. _bump_ ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349/3 "2001-09-13T21:19:23Z")
[http://www.frontpagemag.com/archives/foreignpolicy/benLadin.htm](http://www.frontpagemag.com/archives/foreignpolicy/benLadin.htm) says: > [@](#): > > Osama bin Laden’s most impressive achievement has been his ability to shield from scrutiny and seizure his $300 million financial empire, held in a financial labyrinth of world-wide shell companies, co-investors, governmental entities, bank accounts, religious “charities,” and plain old blue-chip investments. A portion of Mr. bin Laden’s “portfolio” is held in U.S. and British banks under third party names and transferred to Islamic religious charities operating under false cover. That was from 1998, but I believe it essentially still represents reality - his assets are held through a lot of fronts and phony names. Believe me, there are people trying to find assets held by him so that they may be frozen. ---
**Author:** ![golgotha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@golgotha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/golgotha)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349/4 "2001-09-13T22:58:31Z")
his money is in murders and executions. ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349/5 "2001-09-14T02:16:18Z")
Given the week’s events and his seemingly likely connection to them, does the US know where his money is? If so, assuming a declaration of war against him and others, can we not only freze it but sieze it? He11, use it to fund rescue efforts and victims. That’d burn his ass. Yeah, it may be in banks, accounts, etc. where the country claims to be neutral. However, given Bush’s declaration that we will will go after not only the terrorists, but countries that harbor terrorism, this could easily be seen as “harboring.” ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-bin-ladens-wealth/81349/6 "2001-09-14T02:23:22Z")
As one example, the bin Laden family owns some valuable real estate on the Charles River in Boston. Since there are cells of supporters here in the Northeast for his group, I tend to believe that Osama’s relatives are the “third parties” metnioned in that referenced article.