Osama bin Laden (1957-2011) was a Saudi-born militant and terrorist who founded the extremist Islamist group al-Qaeda. He became infamous as the mastermind behind numerous terrorist attacks, notably the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States, which caused the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. Born into a wealthy Saudi family, bin Laden initially supported the mujahideen in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and later established al-Qaeda in 1988 to promote global jihad through violent means. He declared war on the United States due to its military presence in the Middle East and orchestrated attacks against U.S. and Western targets. Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in May 2011.