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Reports: Osama bin Laden's family members die in England plane crash

By Amy R. Connolly
Family members of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden were reportedly killed in a private airplane crash in southern England. Image from Tubman Thomas/Twitter
1 of 2 | Family members of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden were reportedly killed in a private airplane crash in southern England. Image from Tubman Thomas/Twitter

LONDON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Family members of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden were reportedly killed in a private airplane crash in southern England.

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, the Saudi ambassador to Britain, offered his condolences on the embassy's official Twitter account to the Bin Laden family without identifying the victims of the crash.

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A total of four people died, one pilot and three passengers. Police have not officially confirmed the identity of those who died. Some news organizations are reporting the dead are bin Laden's sister and stepmother.

"His royal highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, the ambassador of the custodian of the two holy mosques to the United Kingdom, offered his condolences to the sons of the late Mohammed bin Laden and their relations for the grave incident of the crash of the plane carrying members of the family at Balckbushe airport," he said in the tweet.

The plane was en route from Milan, Italy when it crashed into a "ball of flames," eyewitnesses said. The plane went down as it was attempting to land at Blackbushe Airport and crashed into a car auction site. The aircraft -- an Embraer Phenom 300 -- was reportedly owned by an aviation firm owned by the family, which has businesses in the United Kingdom.

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Bin Laden was killed in 2011 in a U.S. raid on his compound in Pakistan. The bin Laden family disowned him prior to the attacks. His father, Mohammed, reportedly had many wives and an estimated 50 children.

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