Bin Laden's notorious Pink Palace up for sale
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ibrahim bin Laden, Osama bin Laden’s brother, has listed his Bel Air mansion for sale, with an asking price of $AUD 38.1 million ($US 28 million) according to the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/30/osama-bin-ladens-bel-air-estate-is-on-sale-for-28m/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York Post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Property records show that Ibrahim, the older half-brother of the late terrorist, has owned the property for nearly four decades.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When he purchased the Mediterranean-style mansion in 1983, Ibrahim spent $US 163,000 at the time - equating to roughly $US 5.5 million after adjusting for inflation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the home has been unoccupied since the September 11 attacks in 2001.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ibrahim was vacationing overseas at the time of the attack, but never returned to the US.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The listing describes the home as “ready for redoing, owner has not been here for over 20 years”.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the property has been long abandoned, interior photos of the home are hard to find, and the hefty price tag is based on “land value only” and location, rather than the state of the home itself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The almost 100-year-old home, in the prestigious lower Bel Air neighbourhood, spans 600 sqm and sits on more than 8100 sqm of land.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom mansion was built in 1931 and features an unusual exterior of concrete that has been painted pink.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property was previously owned by Hollywood producer Arthur Freed, who produced </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wizard of Oz</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">An American in Paris</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Singin’ in the Rain</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ibrahim lived in the home with his former wife, Christine Hartunian Sinay, and employed “full-time groundskeepers, household help, chauffeurs, and private security”, according to Steve Coll’s biography, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Realtor.com</span></em></p>
