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Bin Laden’s Son Threatens to Avenge his Father’s Death | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Osama bin Laden, Reuters


London – Son of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened to revenge his father’s death against the U.S.

According to SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that tracks extremist groups online, Hamza bin Laden promised to continue the fight against U.S. and its allies. The audio entitled “We Are All Osama” lasted for 21 minutes.

Hamza promised to avenge the Abbottabad operation in Pakistan that killed his father in 2011.

It was clear that Hamza was deeply affected by the air strike that killed his father, he said: “If you thought the sinful crime that you committed in Abbottabad has passed without punishment, then you thought wrong.”

He went on to say: “We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression.”

“As for the revenge by the Islamic nation for Sheikh Osama, may Allah have mercy on him, it is not revenge for Osama the person but it is revenge for those who defended Islam,” Hamza added.

Hamza also spoke of his father saying he could have lived a prosperous life enjoying his wealth that reached millions of dollars, but Osama and his companions chose the life hereafter.

According to Osama’s son, the number of al-Qaeda members is increasing and is now over hundred thousand, in what could be considered as a message addressed to ISIS.

Hamza bin Laden tells Americans that they are accountable for the decisions of their leaders. He threatened the American people saying, “We love Jihad in the name of Allah as you love life.”

He says al Qaeda will continue waging Jihad against the U.S. in response to its “oppression” of Muslims in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, and other countries. He praised latest Taliban victories in Afghanistan.

Hamza didn’t mention in his speech the current leader of al-Qaeda Ayman al-Zawahiri.

In 2011, U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden during a raid at this compound in Abbottabad; a major blow for al-Qaeda which carried the September 2001 attacks in the U.S.

Documents retrieved from bin Laden’s compound claim that some al-Qaeda men tried to reunite Hamza, who was held under house arrest in Iran, with his father.

According to Brookings Institute, Hamza is in his mid-twenties now and used to live with his father in Afghanistan before the September 11 attacks.

After the U.S.-led invasion in Afghanistan, Hamza spent most of his time with Osama in Pakistan.

Last year, Zawahiri introduced Hamza during an audio message as the younger voice of the organization. He explained that the aging leaders struggle to inspire militants around the world who are eager to join ISIS.

Bruce Riedel of Brookings Institute believes Hamza provides a new face for al-Qaeda that “directly connects to the group’s founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy.”