Osama bin Laden: Founder of al-Qaeda Killed at About 54

Osama bin Laden was the founder and leader of al-Qaeda. Born on March 10, 1957, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he was the son of a wealthy construction magnate.

He took part in the Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion and founded al-Qaeda in the late 1980s. His organization carried out the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa and the September 11, 2001, attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. He was the target of a decade-long manhunt.

He was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011, at age 54. President Barack Obama announced his death that night.

Achievements: Founder of al-Qaeda, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

Birth: March 10, 1957 - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Profession: Terrorist leader.

Interesting Facts: He had been in hiding in Pakistan for years.