Three of Osama bin Laden's relatives killed in UK plane crash
| London
Three聽relatives聽of the聽late聽al-Qaida聽leader聽Osama聽bin聽Laden聽were among聽four聽people聽killed聽when a聽private聽jet聽crashed on聽landing聽in聽southern聽England, British聽police聽confirmed聽Saturday.
The聽Hampshire聽Police聽force聽said聽formal聽post-mortems聽were still being conducted, but the victims were believed to be "the mother, sister and brother-in-law of the owner of the aircraft, all of whom are from the聽bin聽Laden聽family." It聽said聽all聽three聽were Saudi nationals who were visiting Britain on vacation. The plane's Jordanian pilot also died.
Arab media and NBC News named the聽relatives聽as Osama聽Bin聽Laden's聽stepmother Rajaa Hashim, his sister Sana聽bin聽Laden聽and her husband Zuhair Hashim.
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed聽Bin聽Nawaf聽Bin聽Abdel-Aziz, offered his condolences to the wealthy聽bin聽Laden聽family, which owns a major construction company in Saudi Arabia.
"The embassy will follow up on the incident and its circumstances with the concerned聽British authorities and work on speeding up the handover of the bodies of the victims to the kingdom for prayer and burial," the ambassador聽said聽in a statement tweeted by the embassy.
Police聽said聽the Embraer Phenom 300 executive jet聽crashed聽into a parking lot and burst into flames while trying to聽land聽at Blackbushe Airport in southern聽England聽Friday afternoon.
The plane was flying from Malpensa Airport in Milan to the airfield about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southwest of London, which is used by聽private planes and flying clubs.
No one on the ground was hurt.聽Police聽and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch launched a joint investigation.
Andrew Thomas, who was at a car auction sales center based at the airport, told the BBC that "the plane nosedived into the cars and exploded on impact." He聽said聽he saw the plane and several cars in flames.
The plane's pilot was Mazen Salem al-Dajah, a Jordanian in his聽late聽50s. His brother Ziad told The Associated Press that al-Dajah's family had been told of his death by a representative of the bin聽Laden聽family's corporation. He聽said聽al-Dajah received his pilot's license in California about 25 years ago and had been employed by the bin聽Laden聽family.
The聽bin聽Laden聽family disowned聽Osama聽in 1994 when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship because of his militant activities. The聽al-Qaida聽leader聽was聽killed聽by U.S. special聽forces聽in Pakistan in 2011.
The family is a large and wealthy one. Osama聽bin聽Laden's聽billionaire father Mohammed had more than 50 children and founded the Binladen Group, a sprawling construction conglomerate awarded many major building contracts in the Sunni kingdom.
Mohammed聽bin聽Laden聽died in a plane聽crash聽in Saudi Arabia in 1967. One of his sons, Salem, was killed聽when his ultralight aircraft flew into power lines in San Antonio, Texas, in 1988.
___
Gambrell reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan contributed to this report.
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