In an October 13, 2021 interview on Channel 1 (Saudi Arabia), former Saudi intelligence chief and Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Turki Al-Faisal spoke about Osama Bin Laden, his media presence, and his relationships with various countries.
Prince Al-Faisal said that in 1996, the Sudanese had wanted to extradite Bin Laden to the Saudis on the condition that they do not try or interrogate him. He said King Abdullah refused because this would constitute a violation of shari'a law.
He also said that at the time, the United States said they did not have enough evidence to try Bin Laden and so refused to have Bin Laden extradited to the U.S.
Later in the interview, Prince Al-Faisal said that he does not think Osama Bin Laden had ties with any intelligence organizations, and that his presence in the media helped make him a more significant figure. He gave the example of the Qatari Al-Jazeera news network, which he said portrayed him as a “big hero” and an “eminent sheikh” and enabled him to spread his “poison” to a young audience.
Prince Al-Faisal also voiced his suspicion that Osama Bin Laden had had ties with Iran, because his sons found refuge in the country during the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2003.