The Kingdom stars Jaime Foxx and is about FBI agents who travel to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist attack – is the film based on real events?

Although The Kingdom premiered in 2007, Netflix added the film to its streaming library in June 2023, leading to an influx of new viewers wondering if the movie was based on true events. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman as FBI agents tasked with traveling to Saudi Arabia to discover who was behind a terrorist attack at an American oil company housing compound. They teamed up with a few members of the Saudi State Police Force, who were in charge of security at the compound, and together, they investigated the bombing and massacre.

The Kingdom came under some scrutiny after its release for its depiction of the Middle East and its people. It was one of the many Hollywood projects released post-9/11 that featured Arabs as the main antagonist. Some critics and audience members pointed out its flaws, especially regarding the real story behind the making of The Kingdom​​​​​.

The Kingdom Is Based On The 1996 Khobar Bombing

Director Peter Berg and writer Matthew Michael Carnahan pulled inspiration from the Khobar Towers bombing in Khobar, Saudi Arabia for The Kingdom. On June 25, 1996, a truck bomb was detonated next to one of the eight-story buildings of Khobar Towers, which was housing personnel of the United States Air Force's 4404th Wing (Provisional) assigned to Operation Southern Watch. Nineteen Air Force members died, and more than 400 people were injured. Following the attack, the United States deployed numerous agents and officers from different agencies, including the FBI and CIA, to investigate.

The Kingdom is loosely based on the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996. But the writer, director, and producers took many creative liberties when crafting the story. Many events in The Kingdom, including the initial terrorist attack and the deadly ending, are highly fictionalized in the name of drama and for Hollywood's sake.

Is Abu Hamza A Real Person Or Based On Anyone Real?

At the end of The Kingdom, the agents found Abu Hamza, the man behind the terrorist attack. His grandson shot and killed Colonel Faris Al-Ghazi, a member of the Saudi State Police, and when the young man turned his gun on the FBI agents, Jamie Foxx's Ronald Fleury killed him. As a result, Abu pulled out a rifle, causing Sergeant Haytham to shoot and kill the terrorist leader. Although The Kingdom is based on a true story, Abu is a fictional character. However, his name was likely derived from Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical Muslim cleric currently serving a life sentence in the United States on terrorism charges.

The Kingdom's Tributes: Who Tom Aguilar, Lance Gunnin & Nick Papac Are

Before the end credits started scrolling, the screen revealed that The Kingdom had been dedicated to Thomas Aguilar, Lance Gunnin, and Nicholas M. Papac. These three men were all crew members who died during production. Aguilar was in the prop department, and a week after discovering he had prostate cancer, he died. Gunnin was a construction worker who was killed in a motorcycle accident. Papac, an assistant prop master, was also killed during an accident involving the film's director, Peter Berg. Berg was riding in an SUV when it collided with a John Deere Gator all-terrain vehicle driven by Papac while shooting The Kingdom.