The status of another son, Saad, remained uncertain. American officials said last summer that they believed that Saad bin Laden had traveled from Iran to Pakistan and had been killed by an American missile fired from a drone. Omar and Zaina bin Laden said Saad was still in the Tehran compound when the missile attack was said to have occurred, but they said that they did not know where he was now or whether he was still alive.
Several Qaeda operatives, including Saif al-Adel, have been reported to be in Iran under house arrest or similar status, and they are suspected of having played a role in directing Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia in 2003.
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In a statement announcing financial sanctions in January against Saad bin Laden and three people accused of being Qaeda operatives in Iran, the Treasury Department said that he had been “involved in managing the terrorist organization from Iran.” But an American intelligence official said Wednesday that Saad bin Laden played a minor role in the organization.
