Middle East Expert Provides Insight Into bin Laden's Motives

FBI: bin Laden Still Has Supporters Inside America

CLEMSON, S.C. -- For the last four days, people across America have been asking, "Who would attack us?"

The FBI said that the prime suspect in the terrorist attacks in the World Trade Center and the Pentago is Osama bin Laden.

But why does he hate America so much?

"He developed a deep, abiding resentment for the United States about the time of the Persian Gulf War," Middle East terrorism expert Dr. Martin Slann said.

Slann is a Middle East terrorism expert and political science professor at Clemson University.

"American military forces plopped down half a million personnel on the Arabian peninsula, which he was appalled of because it's the heartland homeland of Islam," Slann said.

Slann said that bin Laden is a Muslim extremist who has been denounced by mainstream Islam because of his violent ways to protect the Islamic way of life.

"They are very much afraid there's a conspiracy led by the U.S. to block their growth and preservation of their traditional values," Slann said.

Slann said that in bin Laden's eyes, America has the worst kind of value system.

"America represents materialism, capitalism, democracy, and therefore all these things come to be a threat for a traditional orthodox society," he said.

FBI officials told NBC News that bin Laden has supporters, including potential hijackers, inside the United States.

"It's too early to sound the all-clear," one FBI official said.

Related Story:

• September 15, 2001: Who Is bin Laden?

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