The United States has obtained intelligence that the son and potential successor of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Hamza bin Laden, is dead, according to US intelligence officials.
Details of Hamza Bin Laden’s place or date of death remain unclear in the anonymously-sourced reports.
In February, the United States government announced it would pay as much as $1 million for information on Hamza bin Laden’s whereabouts.
Hamza bin Laden is believed to have been born around 1989. His father moved to Afghanistan in 1996 and declared war against the U.S. Hamza went with him and appeared in al Qaeda propaganda videos. As a leader of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden oversaw operations against Western targets that culminated on Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Hamza Bin Laden thought to be aged about 30, had released audio and video messages calling for attacks on the US and other countries.
The department’s Rewards for Justice Program described the younger bin Laden on Twitter as “an emerging al Qaeda leader” who “has threatened attacks against the United States and allies.
US President Donald Trump refused to comment on the issue when asked by reporters on Wednesday, as did the White House national security adviser John Bolton.
