Osama bin Laden is famous primarily for being the founder and leader of al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, which resulted in the destruction of the World Trade Center towers in New York City, significant damage to the Pentagon, and the deaths of nearly 3,000 people[1][2][6]. These attacks had a profound global impact, leading to major changes in U.S. and world security policies and the initiation of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq[2].
Bin Laden’s notoriety grew through his involvement in, and orchestration of, a series of high-profile terrorist attacks against U.S. and Western interests both before and after 9/11. These include the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen[5][7]. He established al-Qaeda in the late 1980s and provided training, funding, and leadership to militant Islamist fighters targeting the United States and its allies[1][6][7].
Bin Laden evaded capture for years, becoming a symbol of international terrorism and the primary target of U.S. counterterrorism efforts. He was finally located and killed by U.S. Special Forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in May 2011[4]. His legacy remains largely associated with global terrorism, anti-Western violence, and the enduring consequences of the 9/11 attacks.