Osama bin Laden's stepmother, half-sister and brother-in-law died after a private jet owned by the family exploded into a fireball after overshooting a runway while trying to land outside London.

Hampshire police confirmed the dead terrorist's stepmother Rajaa Hashim, his sister, Sana bin Laden, and his brother-in-law, Zuhair Hashim, were all killed.

The plane's Jordanian pilot also died in the crash.

Killed: This image, which has been widely circulated online, is believed to show Sana bin Laden, the half-sister of Osama, sitting on a plane. She is thought to have died in a airplane crash in Hampshire yesterday

A police spokesman said: 'We do believe three of the deceased to be the mother, sister and brother-in-law of the owner of the aircraft, all of whom are from the Bin Laden family, but formal post-mortem examinations are ongoing.

'They were Saudi Arabian nationals and visiting the UK on vacation.'

The Saudi ambassador to the UK offered his condolences to the Bin Laden family, who own a major construction company in Saudi Arabia.

The statement said: 'His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud ... has paid his condolences to the family and relatives of Mohammed bin Laden at Blackbushe Airport in Britain for the great loss they have suffered as a result of the crash of the plane that was carrying the family.'

A further statement said the embassy would work with the British authorities to ensure a quick repatriation of the bodies for burial.

The family's pilot has now been named as Mazen Al Doaja and his family have paid tribute, saying they are in shock over his death

The plane had flown in from Malpensa Airport in Milan to the airfield.

Bin Laden, who claimed responsibility for the September 11 2001 attacks in the United States, is believed to have had more than 50 brothers and sisters and many stepmothers.

His billionaire father Mohammed founded the Binladen Group, a sprawling construction conglomerate awarded many major building contracts in the Sunni kingdom. He died in a plane crash in Saudi Arabia in 1967.

The Bin Laden family disowned Osama in 1994 when Saudi Arabia stripped him of his citizenship because of his militant activities.

The al Qaida leader was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011.

She was killed alongside their Jordanian pilot, Mazen Al Doaja, when their £7million Embraer Phenom 300 jet overshot the runway at Blackbushe airport yesterday afternoon.

Sana was known amongst Saudis as 'Mother of Orphans', a sign of high esteem in Arab societies.

She was a renowned philanthropist with an active role in supporting orphanages and sponsoring orphans in Saudi. She was the sister of the renowned businessman Saad bin Laden.

Despite her wealth, she lived in a humble apartment and didn't have any house help.

Well wishes have taken to Twitter today to pay their respects. FatmaAlkheliwi wrote: May God rest Umm Saad’s (Mother of Saad) soul in peace.

'I learned a lot from her and was witness to many great acts of philanthropy on her part.'

Fahdabntsaud wrote: 'May she rest in peace. We will miss you. We will all die one day, but the tragedy of your demise will not be forgotten by those who loved you and those to whom you dedicated your time and efforts.'

Sana is thought to have been on the plane with her mother Rajaa Hashim, Osama's stepmother, and her husband Zuhair Hashim, Osama's brother-in-law, who are also believed to be among the dead

The trio died alongside their Jordanian pilot, who has not been identified, after the £7million private jet they were flying on overshot the runway at Blackbushe airport, hit the ground and exploded

Almansour Mousa added: 'A noble, charitable lady known for her goodness and generosity especially towards orphans.'

Her husband, Dr. Zuhair Hashim was an architect and a scientific researcher and writer.

The aircraft was owned by Salem Aviation, based in Jeddah, which is controlled by Osama bin Laden's family.

The jet was completely destroyed after it overshot the runway while trying to land at the Blackbushe Airport on the Hampshire-Surrey border.

The bin Laden-owned Embraer Phenom 300, pictured, had just arrived from Milan when it overshot the runway

The family of captain Al Doaja have said they are in shock over his death, and have decided to bury him in Al Baqiea in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement by his brother on Saturday.

'His body will not be brought to Jordan. He will be buried in Saudi as per the family's will.'

The time of the funeral hasn't been set yet, but he confirmed that Mazen's parents and son will attend.

Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, Osama's father, is believed to have had around two dozen wives and a total of 54 children.

Saudi law allows for a maximum of four wives at any one time, though Mohammed bin Laden divorced frequently.

Rajaa Hashim was among those wives, making her Osama's stepmother, while daughter Sana would have been his half-sister, making Zuhair Hashim Osama's brother-in-law.

Mohammed bin Laden was originally from Yemen but moved to Saudi Arabia in the 1930s and became a building contractor for the SAudi Royal family.

Impressed with his work, they made his construction company the favoured contractor for many of the kingdom's building projects, which became more and more spectacular as the country was flooded with oil money.

He married Hamida Alia Ghanoum some time in the 1950s, and in 1957 she gave birth to Osama bin Laden, believed to be her only child.

While he grew up among the lavish trappings on wealth in the family's palatial home in Jeddah, he would go on to live a sparse life as the leader of hardline terror group Al Qaeda.

After masterminding several bomb plots around the world, including an attack on the World Trade Centre car park, he became the world's most wanted man in 2001 after terrorists from Al Qaeda crashed two planes into the towers, killing more than 5,000 people.

The rows of parked cars at British Car Auctions near Blackbushe Airport that were destroyed by a plane

Hampshire police have erected forensic tents around the crash site this morning and officers in boiler suits have been pictured examining the wreckage

It is not yet known what will happen to the remains on those on board, though in accordance with Sharia customs they must be buried as soon as possible after death

Forensic officers inspect the crash site today after the plane exploded in the middle of a car auctio

He went into hiding and was believed to have been living in the tribal mountainous region of Pakistan, until he was discovered living in a compound in Abbottabad.

He was shot dead by a team of Navy SEALs in May 2011 during a raid on the compound.

BIN LADEN FAMILY STILL BIG BUSINESS IN SAUDI ARABIA The Saudi Red Sea trading port of Jeddah is the business HQ for the construction family's fabulously successful Saudi BinLadin Group (SBG). The bin Ladens made their money by gaining exclusive rights to all religious building projects under Saudi control in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, Mohammed Bin Laden then branched out into lucrative civil projects. More than a dozen bin Laden brothers and half-brothers sit on the SBG board and help to run its operations from regional HQs across the Middle East. SBG is estimated to be worth many billions of pounds. Advertisement

In the wake of the plane crash yesterday, emergency services raced to the scene shortly after 3pm when the aircraft crashed into an overflow car park attached to the British Car Auction.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in London expressed their condolences to the bin Laden family for their loss following yesterday's accident.

Although based in Saudi Arabia, the plane was flying into Hampshire from Milan. The bin Ladens have interests in northern Italy.

The crash is not being treated as terrorism-related.

According to AvGen Limited, who monitor flights arriving and departing Heathrow Airport, their equipment picked up the doomed jet as it approached Blackbushe Airport.

Their data suggests that the aircraft was flying at 1,250 feet when it approached the airfield. It then climbed rapidly 500 feet. When the pilot steered the jet to the runway, he started losing height at a rate of 3,000 feet per minute in the moments before the crash.

Osama bin Laden's family is still very well connected in Saudi Arabia with a multi-billion pound building empire

The aircraft involved in yesterday's crash was named after Osama bin Laden's eldest brother Salem, right, who himself died in an aircraft crash while flying in the United States in 1988 (also pictured is Salem's first wife, Sandi, and the couple's child)

Osama bin Laden's father Mohammed, left, was killed in a crash in 1967 in a plane with the same tail number

Bin Laden's father Mohammed originally registered the tail number of the aircraft involved in yesterday's crash in the 1960s.

He was flying the aircraft with the number HZ-IBN, when he died in another crash in 1967, however his family retained the registration.

The aircraft was registered to Salem Aviation - which was named after the dead terrorist's eldest brother, who himself died in a crash in 1988 when he ploughed into powerlines in San Antonio, Texas.

A source close to Saudi Arabian authorities said: 'Saudi officials in contact with members of the (bin Laden) family.

They are aware of the reports and are carrying out checks with members of the family for further information.'

A spokesman for Blackbushe Airport said: 'A Phenom 300 Jet with four persons on board crashed near the end of the runway around 3.09 PM while attempting to make a landing.

'The scene was attended by Blackbushe Fire & Rescue within minutes, followed by Hampshire Fire, Police and Ambulance units.

'Emergency services are currently controlling the scene.'

The South East Coast Ambulance Service sent out a tweet saying they have had reports of four casualties after the incident near Farnborough.

The aircraft is understood to have been owned by a Saudi Arabian national.

All staff and customers at the British Car Auction site escaped unharmed.

Air accident investigators were soon at the scene of the crash in a bid to determine what went wrong

Several stunned people stood silently as they looked over towards the scene of yesterday's disaster

Acting chief inspector Olga Venner, of Hampshire Police, speaking from the scene, said: 'We can confirm that there were four people on board, including the pilot.

'Sadly, there were no survivors. No-one on the ground has been injured and we would urge anyone with any information, including pictures or videos, to contact 101.'

In a statement, an airport spokesman said: 'Blackbushe Airport confirmed that a Phenom 300 jet with four persons on board crashed near the end of the runway around 3.09pm while attempting to make a landing.

'The scene was attended by Blackbushe Fire and Rescue within minutes, followed by Hampshire fire, police and ambulance units. Emergency services are currently controlling the scene.'

Robert Belcher, a local aviation enthusiast, said he was driving home when he saw a plume of black smoke coming from the site.

He said: 'I was passing the airport on my way home and there was a big column of smoke in the air.

'The fire service had closed the road behind me.

'I could see the plume of smoke waving from about five miles away and was hoping it was just a car fire rather than an aircraft accident.'

Osama bin Laden, circled, lost his father Mohamed and his eldest brother Salem in two plane crashes

The aircraft tried and failed to land on the main runway at Blackbushe and instead ploughed into the car park

Mr Belcher said he was 'shocked' when he discovered that a jet had crashed.

He added: 'Apparently the aircraft was landing and just didn't stop.

'At the end of the runway there is a car park because the airport is used for car auctions and it's gone into there.

'I assumed it was cars on fire in the auction yard.

'Local people have said that it was this aircraft which is registered in Saudi Arabia.

'It's been a regular visitor to the airport for a few months.'

Andrew Thomas, who was paying for a car at the time of impact, said the plane 'exploded'.

'I saw it when it had just happened, and could see the plane and cars in flames,' he told BBC Surrey.

'The plane nosedived into the cars and exploded on impact.

The aircraft was seen circling Blackbushe Airport before overshooting the runway and crashing in a fireball

Four people were killed in the tragedy when the Saudi-owned private jet crashed into a car auction

According to eye-witnesses, the plane clipped a fence and flipped over before landing into a row of parked cars

Local resident Daphne Knowles, 70, told GetSurrey: 'I was in a field with the cattle and I heard an aircraft coming very very fast from behind me. The engines were screaming far too much and the aircraft was trying to land - I'm a glider pilot and I thought it's far too low to the ground.

'Two people said they thought it had to swerve to miss another aircraft as it went in, but I didn't see that myself and can't confirm, then there was a huge black cloud of smoke which went up.'

THE EMBRAER PHENOM 300 JET It is a light jet aircraft made by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer.

Standard models of the plane can hold eight occupants, including those in the cockpit. It can be adapted to carry up to 11 people.

Its wingspan is 15.91m (52ft 2 inches), and length is 15.64m (51ft 4 inches).

The plane can reach 453 knots on high-speed cruise mode.

It can reach a maximum altitude of 45,000ft (13,716m).

The aircraft has a range of 3,650 km, approximately five hours of flight time.

Its landing distance is 799m (2,621ft) Advertisement

Joe Ramos' was first alerted to the drama by his son and told how the plane suddenly crashed into parked cars at a neighbouring auction site.

Mr Ramos, who was working nearby, said: 'There was a loud bang and then my son quickly came in to the auction hall where the cashiers are, saying a plane had gone down.

'We quickly went back out only to see a private jet had gone over the fence of the airport.

'It's actually clipped the fence, spun around and crashed into the cars where they are sold.

'There are approximately six to ten fire engines and ambulances on the site. Everyone was evacuated from the site.

'You can no longer see the plane in the fire as it's spread on to the vehicles surrounding it.

'The fire started at the front of the plane and worked its way from the front of the jet to the back and spread outwards onto the parked cars.

'The whole place was engulfed with very thick black smoke which the fire brigade is still trying to get on top of.'

The Civil Aviation Authority and Air Accidents Investigation Branch were among the professional bodies investigating the crash.

The nearby A30 was closed in both directions due to the incident.

Pictures have also shown a plume of black smoke being sent into the air following the tragic accident