The son of Osama bin Laden has vowed that al Qaeda will take revenge against the United Sates for assassinating his father, reveals an audio message posted online by the global jihadist group.
In a 21-minute speech entitled “We Are All Osama,” 23-year-old Hamza bin Laden (pictured) said al Qaeda would continue waging jihad (holy war) against the United Sates and its allies, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that tracks jihadi activity online.
“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,” declared Hamza.
“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,” he also said, adding, “If you think that your sinful crime that you committed in Abbottabad has passed without punishment, then you thought wrong.”
A U.S. Navy SEAL commando killed Osama bin Laden at his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May 2011, dealing a major blow to al Qaeda, the terrorist group behind the 9/11 attacks on the American homeland.
Citing the U.S. think tank Brookings Institution, Reuters reports, “Hamza, now in his mid-twenties, was at his father’s side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks and spent time with him in Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion pushed much of al Qaeda’s senior leadership there”
“Introduced by the organization’s new chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in an audio message last year, Hamza provides a younger voice for the group whose aging leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanized by Islamic State [ISIS/ISIL],” it adds.
Osama bin Laden’s aides attempted to reunite the al Qaeda leader with Hamza, who was under house arrest in Iran at the time, according to documents recovered from the Pakistani hideout and published by the United States last year.
“Hamza provides a new face for al Qaeda, one that directly connects to the group’s founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy,” reportedly noted Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institution.
Osama bin Laden’s son has been dubbed “the Crown Prince of Terror” by British media outlets.
“Hamza’s whereabouts are unknown, but analysts speculate that he may be preparing to take over leadership of al-Qaida,” reports the Daily Mail.
It adds:
This is not the first time that Hamza calls for terrorist attacks. Previously, he has incited attacks on on London, Washington, Paris and Tel Aviv in an audio message released by al-Qaida.
Hamza is thought to have been groomed by his 9/11 mastermind father. He can be heard on previous audios urging lone wolf attacks against the West.
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