The U.S. government announced that Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden is emerging as a leader of the al Qaeda terrorist organization.
The U.S. is offering $1 million for information on his whereabouts, according to a statement Thursday. Hamza bin Laden has been releasing audio threatening retribution for the death of his father, terror leader Osama bin Laden, taking to the Internet to spread the message.
“He has released audio and video messages on the Internet, calling on his followers to launch attacks against the United States and its Western allies, and he has threatened attacks against the United States in revenge for the May 2011 killing of his father by U.S. military forces,” the statement reads.
The elder bin Laden was killed during a U.S. raid on a compound where he was hiding in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Osama bin Laden was the leader of an al Qaeda terror group at the time of his death and was the primary individual responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington.
Following Thursday’s announcement, Saudi Arabia said Friday that it had revoked Hamza bin Laden’s citizenship. In is unclear if Saudi Arabia’s announcement was tied to the U.S. declaration. The kingdom’s decision to cut Hamza bin Laden’s citizenship came in November, though it was not publicized until Friday.
Hamza bin Laden is believed to be in his early 30s and is likely somewhere near the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Information gained from the 2011 raid in Abbottabad showed that his father was grooming the younger bin Laden to become leader of the organization.
Hamza bin Laden is married to the daughter of Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000.
Ayman al-Zawahiri took control of al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden’s death. He is also believed to be hiding somewhere in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
