What It’s Like For Osama Bin Laden’s Niece To Go Through Airport Security

Noor Bin Ladin, who spells her last name with an ‘i’ rather than an ‘e’, was born in Switzerland. Her mother, a Swiss citizen, left her father in Saudi Arabia and raised her family in Europe. Bin Ladin spends much of her time in the United States and shared what airport security is like.

[S]he often finds herself detained in interrogation rooms at JFK or Logan Airports — sometimes for hours — as federal agents comb through her personal belongings.

..“Considering my name, I always felt it was normal and that they were doing their job,..[t]hey were nothing but courteous with me every time.”

She recalled a particularly lengthy stay at Logan Airport where she bonded with a security agent going through her iPod over their shared appreciation of Elvis Presley and Marvin Gaye.

..“I’ve experienced a wide spectrum of reactions. I’ve had people who were surprised, people who were curious.” If anyone has been afraid or wary, she says, they never said anything.

While TSA has never caught a terrorist, they can accurately claim they’ve caught a Bin Ladin.. albeit one who outspokenly supports President Trump.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. This daughter of Saudi Arabia is a vociferous Trump supporter, and as such she’s even saying there will be another 9/11 if Biden is elected but not if Trump is re-elected.

    The Saudis and Emiratis definitely want Trump re-elected.

    The Gulf Arab rulers — who are infamous for saying only the royal rulers can save America from their own peoples and thus the US should support authoritarian royal rule in the area — have always loved the Republicans and usually hated the Democrats.

  2. @GUWonder, that is true, but can’t blame them from their perspective. They’re looking out for their own interests (as any sovereign does), and after Obama pretty much gave Iran carte blanche’ to put the gulf rulers heads on the chopping block, they’re not going to support Obama’s VP…

  3. Anyone in favor of dictatorships and under the table payments, illegal activities, etc. want trump re-elected but he is all about that. Rule of law, ethics, democracy are things he abhors.

    And obviously we know how Saudis and the like think.

  4. She seems very nice, and unlike many of the poor sods in these comments, she sees the plain truth that Biden is a weak, talentless career politician suffering from dementia.

  5. Biden also supports bin Laden! When bin Laden was found, there was a vote. Kill him or not? Obama. “I vote ‘dead'”. Hillary. Thumbs down. Secretary of Defense Gates. “Waste him”. Down the line. When it was Biden’s turn, he voted “No on the mission”. If Biden were President, Osama bin Laden would still be alive.

    Reason? Biden explained in the meeting that there was not 100%, guaranteed proof that bin Laden was in that house. 99% is not enough.

    Bottom line is that Putin supports Trump. Bottom line is that Xi and Iran support Biden. Osama, doesn’t matter, because he’s dead.

  6. I’ll just leave this here.

    ”…her uncle supported a Biden Presidency…”
    “As first reported by the Washington Post in March 2012, bin Laden was plotting the assassination of President Barack Obama because “killing him automatically will make [Vice President] Biden take over the presidency.”

    Bin Laden thought that a Biden presidency would spell disaster for the U.S., telling one of his top officers, “Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis.”

  7. Unlike the multiple and endless crises we’re in now under Trump. Talk about a disaster. 180,000+ dead due to Trump should be enough, but the utter contempt for the military, the serial corruption, the 20,000 lies, and the bowing down before Putin make it imperative that Biden wins the election.

  8. @Joe – you are a clown, and the “Biden has dementia” argument has been shot in the foot handily with his speech at the DNC and his take-down of Trump this week vis-a-vis the “military killed are chumps” claims.

    BTW – this isn’t a monarchy, you may not realize this, but Trump actually has to be re-elected…and on what argument? Awesome at appealing to White Nationalists? Amazing at talking about building a wall but not actually doing anything? Limiting Covid deaths to “only” 190K and counting? Please…make the case for us. it’s amusing. Knock yourself out.

  9. I want to marry this women. She is pretty and has a good moral compass. Liking Elvis is another plus. I wish more people were like her. She’s right about President Trump. No more endless Middle East wars. Yes to peace deals in Afghanistan and between Israel/UAE. Palestinians deserve their own sovereign territory and the Trump plan is just a starting point (and map), not the end point. It’s nice to have most troops out of Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We want to negotiate better trade deals that are fair. We don’t want more unnecessary war.

  10. UA-NYC. Turn off your television network news and stick you your forte, which is NOT political commentary. Anyone who has ever been “quoted” by reporters know how “quotes” are manipulated. Building on your reference to clowns, the Democrat party is the same old circus with the same OLD white faced clowns in the center ring.

  11. Peace deals in Afghanistan? Get real. Or is that akin to the US getting into bed with the Taliban like the Saudis and Emiratis had done?

    Peace deal between Israel and the UAE? I never knew the UAE to have fired any shot in a war with Israel.

    Do you realize that its deployed US military capability in Afghanistan and Iraq and Syria that keeps Iranian power at bay in the region? Ironically, Iran-bashing Trump is doing Russia’s bidding in enabling Iran to have more regional sway than would otherwise be the case, and doing so all while setting up for greater conflict against Iran whether he wins or loses the coming election.

    Better trade deals that are fair? Donald Trump is a bad populist and self-dealing con-artist, as the only people he fights for are big money players to whom he loves giving massive corporate and other tax and regulatory breaks while scamming the average American and sticking the general American public with the bill for his shenanigans.

  12. @One Trippe – your “argument” is so nonsensical I don’t know where to begin. May I introduce to you your future bi-racial VP, Sen. Kamala Harris?

    Get used to seeing a lot of women and non-white faces in the Biden Cabinet too…love that it will piss off all the White Nationalists.

    You’re probably too ignorant (as a Faux News or OANN viewer I’m assuming) to realize the 2018 Blue Wave introduced a record number of women, people of color, and LGBTQ representatives into Congress. Not exactly the “same old circus” (that would be the party formerly known as Republicans btw).

  13. UA_NYC. It’s not an argument is an observation . . . political commentary is not your forte. If someone doesn’t agree with you it’s very non productive to resort to derogatory name calling.
    But then facts really don’t care about feelings. Relax and read your Airways magazine.

  14. It’s amusing to see One Trippe decry “derogatory name calling” when it comes from critics of Trump, but when it’s Trump doing the derogatory name calling then “it is what it is”. Welcome to hypocrisy, One Trippe style.

  15. GUWonder. I don’t support Trump for his personality, I support him and his Cabinet for their policies. As I said, the fact don’t care about feelings.

  16. @One Trippe – you insinuate that the Dems are the party of old white men, then I reply with the fact that the incoming (Democratic of course) 2018 Congress was the most diverse in history. And yet I’m the one without “facts”…get your story straight.

  17. Yes it is a TRAVEL BLOG NOT AN ANTI-TRUMP RALLY PEOPLE GET A GRIP!!So many of you Libs do not have a clue about President TRUMP but think Biden is the best tho he is TOTALLY Demented.. Joe i agree with you.

  18. It does not take a rocket scientist to see Biden’s utter weakness and frailties, being totally owned and controlled by special interests and foreign adversaries.

    People usually commit themselves to the easiest path of least resistance and giving in versus fighting for what is right which id what trump does every sitting day of his life!

    Never have we witnessed an individual who loves our country more than Trump which is why you know we cannot go wrong!

  19. It does not take a rocket scientist to see Biden’s utter weakness and frailties, being totally owned and controlled by special interests and foreign adversaries.

    People usually commit themselves to the easiest path of least resistance and giving in versus fighting for what is right which id what trump does every sitting day of his life!

    Never have we witnessed an individual who loves our country more than Trump which is why you know we cannot go wrong!

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