The widow of the Irishman who taught Osama bin Laden how to speak English has again spoken of her husband’s surprise when his former student became the most hated man in the world.
Breda O’Brien’s late husband Seamus was a private tutor to the Bin Laden family when the pair worked in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah in the 1970s.
Now retired and resident in Cork, she spoke to the Irish Independent in the wake of Monday’s assassination of the al-Qaeda leader who had always been described as ‘an inoffensive young fellow’ by her husband.
Her husband, she said, had always expressed surprise that it was the same Osama bin Laden they were talking about whenever bin Laden’s name was mentioned on television with al-Qaeda atrocities.
“He was surprised because as a young fellow the lad was inoffensive and didn’t show any hostility towards Seamus,” remembered O’Brien.
“Seamus was the Bin Laden’s private tutor and taught English to Osama and some of his brothers.
“I suppose he would have got to know him better during this time but you have to remember the Saudis are a very closed society.
“Seamus taught him English and said he was reasonably good. The father was I suppose, was what we’d call a ‘cute hoor’ and as a merchant he would have started with a desk on the side of the street and dealt with whatever was in demand, usually a money exchange.”
The former Saudi resident was also critical of the media coverage of Bin Laden’s death.
“I don’t like the media gloating over Bin Laden and it has become a gloat fest,” she told the Independent.
“They’d be better off saying a prayer for him and for the people he allegedly killed.”
O’Brien and her late husband, who died two years ago, spent seven years in Saudi Arabia in the 1970s where they both worked as English teachers.
“Seamus got a job in Al Thaghr School and taught Osama bin Laden there,” added O’Brien. “The school was for the rich and the thick and it was a difficult post, they were also very arrogant of course.
“Bin Laden’s father had his full quota of four wives, which is allowed for Muslims. Their house was very dour and there was no sign of ostentation whatsoever. It was very austere.
“When we saw clips of him on television all those years later, he still had that face of austerity.”
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Peggy P | May 07, 2011, 12:03 PM EDT
IS THIS WOMEN NUTS? WOULD SHE FEEL SORRY FOR BEN LADEN AND BE OFFENDED BY THE "GLOAT FEST" OF HIS MUCH TOO LONG DELAYED AND DESERVED DEMISE IF ANY OF HER LOVED ONE'S WERE IN THE TWIN TOWERS, PENTAGON AND PLANES USED TO ATTACK THE U.S. ON 9/11? WOW, HE WAS AN INOFFENSIVE STUDENT, BOO HOO. MAYBE HER HUSBAND WASN'T A VERY GOOD JUDGE OF CHARACTER. WAKE UP BREDA O'BRIEN!
Peggy P | May 07, 2011, 11:52 AM EDT
IS THIS WOMEN NUTS? WOULD SHE FEEL SORRY FOR BEN LADEN AND BE OFFENDED BY THE "GLOAT FEST" OF HIS MUCH TOO LONG DERSERVED DEMISE IF ONE OF HER LOVED ONE'S WERE IN THE TWIN TOWERS ON 9/11? WOW, HE WAS AN INOFFENSIVE STUDENT, BOO HOO. MAYBE HER HUSBAND WANN'T A VERY GOOD JUDGE OF CHARACTER. WAKE UP BREDA O'BRIEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sirpeter | May 06, 2011, 05:47 AM EDT
@Scrivner..I can assure you I am neither blind nor prejudice. I honestly don't think the ordinary American people realize the road they are been brought down by the American government in the last 60 years. The idea of democracy is that all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.If a people are not presented with the true facts by your government and the media.Then you cannot claim to have a democracy. We get so used to the lies our government's tell us we take it as the norm and we know our politicians tell lies because they get caught out from time to time.The question is how many lies do they get away with.Ordinary people in general in their hearts want to do the right thing. I believe governments know this and that is why they control the media when it comes to very important decisions. Those of us who are trying to figure out the truth are left with only our gut feeling. This feeling we get deep down is pretty accurate if we listen closely to it.
sirpeter | May 06, 2011, 05:47 AM EDT
(cont)If a government seeks the mass mobilization of a nation through indoctrination (media)using fear (WMD's)and telling you there are other nations and people out to get you.Believe that a nation requires strong leadership and the will and ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong and safe,exalt militarism and gives you the feeling someone is looking over your shoulder(Patriot Act)Then call it democracy if you want to fool yourself. But my gut feeling tells me otherwise.My gut feeling tells me those things are closer to FASCISM then Democracy. I believe in the fullness of time the American people will realize the power's of The Patriot Act and how it will become more useful in suppressing the American people rather then any foreign or domestic acts of violence.People think they are free until they pull against the peg.That leash has become considerable shorter since 9/11. That my friends is the real payback Osama Bin Laden gave the American people for it's interference in the middle east.Osama Bin Laden could have never taken your freedom.But he knew who could.
semperfidelis | May 06, 2011, 12:10 AM EDT
Indeed, if he had been Catholic, he would have been an altar boy. Good Lord, the inability for some people to recognize evil in this world is stunning. Gloating?; say a prayer for him and the people he " allegedly killed"? Not me, I'm glad he got what was coming to him. And now he will have to face True Power and answer for his crimes. Also, heard he had 4 wives and 23 children, no wonder he let his guard down. Keeping 4 wives happy, supporting and raising 23 kids while waging global jihad, just too much for one man to bear.
newcanaan | May 05, 2011, 05:14 PM EDT
IT WOULD TAKE AN A-HOLE LIKE YOU TO FIND THE POSITIVE IN THIS LOW LIFE.
aidanwalsh | May 05, 2011, 01:20 PM EDT
i can recall the morning of 911 when i saw the images of people trapped on the upper floors of the buildings and seeing them fall or jump in desperation and also the final collapse of these buildings and those other events unfold throughout that day...these are the things we all should focus on not this scum 'desert rat'...he thought he was going to alah, news for him the devil already scooped him up as soon as that bullet entered his brain...some so called 'spiritual' leader he turned out to be...may he burn in hell and r.i.p. and prayers for all his innocent victims...'they are all in heaven'...this is what i feel for bin laden and the other cowards like him who kill men,women and children across the globe...may the devil hold onto him forever...
jamieLM | May 05, 2011, 10:39 AM EDT
Well said, Scrivner. GW was given faulty intelligence. Saddam's refusal to cooperate with UN inspectors made him look like he had something to hide. Bin Laden is quoted as declaring "war on America" long before the GWB presidency and 9/11. BL was responsible for planning the killing of Americans and many others beginning in the Clinton presidency. BL was behind the first attack on the World Trade Center. Clinton should have done more than he did to go after BL for the bombings at the embassies and on the USS Cole. The U.S. emboldened BL to plan more attacks because Clinton only made a token repsonse to all those killings. The radical Islamists thought Bin Laden was invincible. He was not. He was a COWARD living in luxury and "safety" who planned the killing of men, women, and children, and then got other people to do his dirty work for him. Good riddance to this piece of garbage.
bullocks | May 05, 2011, 08:12 AM EDT
"based on what might have been faulty intelligence". it was an out and out lie.there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq . "creative torture"- that doesn't include waterboarding then?thats not creative enough? your also doing a sterling job on Afghanistan. Heroin production in Afghanistan has grown by 40 times in the last two years alone.
Scrivner | May 04, 2011, 06:19 PM EDT
Sirpeter, I have to disagree (hopefully without being disagreable). 1st, Osama started his jihad against us infidels well before GW came to office. During the Clinton years he caused emabassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania killing many local citizens, and the bombing of the USS Cole in Aden. Bush reacted by overthrowing the Taliban in Afganistan. The Iraq war had little to do with Al Qaida, we were acting at the behest of the UN, based on what might have been faulty intelligence, and deposed a secular monster (the Iragi's had a reputation as being the most creative torturers around). Also it was bin Laden who inspired many attacks against civilians, from minor shootings, to bombings in London and Madrid. Sirpeter, don't let your blind predjudice cloud your speech.
AngelPrecious | May 04, 2011, 05:22 PM EDT
sirpeter, I am one American proud of our country. Maybe to some, Bush is more hated for his deeds that Bin Laden but you are in the definite minority. I do not gloat that Bin Laden is no longer in this world but neither am I sad. Justice has been done!
bullocks | May 04, 2011, 04:39 PM EDT
well said sirpeter
kateomprint | May 04, 2011, 03:54 PM EDT
He was a coward first of all. What he did was to target innocent people not the military. So he picked gullible young men to carry out his atrocities. I thought he was living in a cave what a turn up for books when it turns out he is living in luxury while his followers were probably starving and living in caves.
PhlutiePhan | May 04, 2011, 11:48 AM EDT
Sure, he was a "cute kid". Children are innocent until corrupted by others. This Irish family was sincerely there to help. Who turned Osama against them? It had to be a series of Imams. This thickens the plot because almost all of the 9-11 plotters were from Saudi Arabia.
aidanwalsh | May 04, 2011, 10:13 AM EDT
i am glad he sleeps with the fish, the man was a monster...it would have been better to smoke him out of that house and taped him alive to a missile and pointed him towards a big hole (cave) in bora bora mountains...he got off to easy or better throw him off the tallest building in the world...sorry, i have no irish prayers for him just for all his 'victims'...
sirpeter | May 04, 2011, 09:48 AM EDT
For starters he was not the most hated man in the world.There is a good chance of that been incorrect for starters.If I was to make a wild guess who was the most hated in the world,I would have to say President Daddy and Junior Bush.Since war is the failure of politics and killing another means of furthering a political interest.They win that award hands down in my opinion.The most hated people in the world are always the ones who do the most killing.If you look up the stats of who is least proud of their country you will find Japan and Germany is the least proud at a huge 36% and 34%.America is at 2%.I wonder what the percentage it was in Japan and Germany before it all went wrong.It's a heavy burden of guilt government's and the media place upon it's future unborn children when they encourage death to come to their shores.
colkelley | May 04, 2011, 09:30 AM EDT
Sometimes even spoiled little rich kids are simply evil that needs to be eradicated. This was such a case.
antoman | May 04, 2011, 08:42 AM EDT
Had he taught him Irish history might be so different.Osama might have ended up on TG4 reading the news.