RIYADH, Nov 8: Osama bin Laden’s wealth is between 40 and 50 million dollars at most, a former Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal, guesstimates.

In the fifth part of a wide ranging comprehensive ongoing interview with the Saudi daily Arab News and the regional TV network MBC, carried on Thursday, Prince Turki said, westerners have estimated it at between one and five billion dollars. But our estimate put it at between $40 and $50 million at the most.

Contrary to some recent high profile reports, he also ruled out the possibility that the Al-Qaeda organisation of Osama Bin Laden might have succeeded in amassing weapons of mass destruction.

“While I was in the intelligence service, we monitored all these claims not only those related to Al-Qaeda, but regarding other organizations as well. But we did not receive any strong evidence to back up that claim,” he said.

The prince pointed out that Osama had tried to gather followers in the Kingdom. “Don’t forget the blast that occurred in Olaya, Riyadh, several years ago. Those who were behind the explosions confessed to the crime and admitted that they were influenced by his thoughts. So there can be no doubt that he tried and will continue to try and gather followers here,” he added.

He also denied that Osama’s Saudi nationality was revoked because of complaints from Egypt referring to Osama as having played a significant role in violence that engulfed the country in 1992, organised by Jihad and Jamaa Islamiya groups. The main reason (for revoking his Saudi nationality) was what he had been saying against the system of government in the Kingdom. It was his disobedience to the ruler and his call for changing the system. That was the problem. He is an abnormal individual and showed no loyalty either to the head of his country or his family.

Prince Turki also revealed that while Osama was still in Sudan, one of his aged uncles of over 80 years of age went to Sudan to convince him to return to the country and stop his activities. His mother and a number of his brothers and sisters also went to Sudan to try to convince the man. But to no avail.

The prince said the Saudi intelligence had been monitoring Osama recruiting persons from different parts of the Islamic world, from Algeria to Egypt, from East Asia to Somalia, to get them trained at these camps. It was an unacceptable activity.

He said Osama was granted permission by the Saudi authorities to travel to Pakistan in March 1992 to facilitate the peace efforts and convince the Mujahideens to put aside their differences before entering Kabul. Before leaving for Pakistan, Osama had spent two full years in the Kingdom and there was nothing against him in the Kingdom then.