Osama bin Laden’s son believed dead

Hamza bin Laden, son of Usamah bin Laden and major Al Qaeda figurehead, has been killed, according to US officials. No details yet provided about how and when. Al-Qaeda, which would most likely know of such an event, has not yet commented/confirmed.

While not confirmed, possible Hamza killed in Afghanistan: a July-Aug 2017 letter he wrote (surfacing in Dec 2017) announced death of his 12-year-old son Usamah (believed to be Afghanistan). Hamza described his activities, implying he was with him.

Hamza was never given an official title within Al Qaeda, but the group would release speeches by him calling for lone wolf attacks in the West and revenge for the US’ killing of his father Usamah, among other topics.

Hamza was beloved by global jihadi community. His speeches stressed unity, never criticizing ISIS (a critical difference from Zawahiri). He was seen as a future leader who would unite the global jihad. Thus, if he is indeed dead, it will be a major blow to the movement.

Worth stressing: Hamza bin Laden was not targeted merely for being Usamah bin Laden’s son. He was one of al-Qaeda’s loudest voices calling for attacks in the West and giving directives. He, with al-Qaeda’s help, was positioning himself to lead the global jihadi movement.

AQ leader Zawahiri first introduced Hamza in Aug 2015, calling him “a lion from the den of” AQ. Hamza since featured in nearly a dozen productions.

However, AQ never showed his face for security reasons (as-Sahab put audio of his voice over video).