NY judge tosses bin Laden brothers from lawsuits

NEW YORK CITY Federal Judge George Daniels in Manhattan issued the order Thursday, dropping four half brothers and a nephew from the litigation brought by representatives of victims of the attacks and insurance carriers.

The judge said the plaintiffs in the 7-year-old lawsuit had failed to prove personal involvement that contributed to the terrorist attacks. The lawsuits had sought to show that Osama bin Laden's family protected his financial interests as he built his terror-driven empire in the early 1990s.

Osama bin Laden is purportedly one of 54 children of Mohammed bin Ladin.