Hamza Bin Laden: Osama Bin Laden’s Son Added To Terrorist Watch List By U.S. State Department

The U.S. State Department has added Hamza Bin Laden to its terrorist watch list. Hamza Bin Laden is the son of deceased al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden. The State Department confirmed on its website that Hamza is now officially considered a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. The website explains that this means the State Department has determined that Bin Laden is involved in acts of terrorism that threaten the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

The #Iran– #alQaeda link through Hamza bin Laden. Read via @AlArabiya_Eng https://t.co/LGMgTV2CVZ #IranRisk pic.twitter.com/jyYZjdpirv

— UANI (@UANI) October 8, 2016

“On August 14, 2015 Hamza bin Laden, son of Usama bin Laden, was officially announced by al-Qa’ida senior leader Ayman al-Zawahiri as an official member of the group,” according to the State Department’s website. “In this 2015 audio message from al-Zawahiri, bin Laden called for acts of terrorism in western capitals. On July 9, 2016, al-Qa’ida issued another audio message from Hamza bin Laden threatening revenge against the United States and warned Americans they would be targeted in the United States and abroad. Specifically, in 2015, bin Laden called for lone wolf attacks against U.S., French, and Israeli interests in Washington, D.C., Paris, France, and Tel Aviv, Israel. Additionally, in 2016, bin Laden called on Saudi Arabian-based tribes to unite with al-Qa’ida’s affiliate in Yemen to wage war against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

The State Department said Hamza Bin Laden was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 1989. According to the Independent, Osama Bin Laden had six wives during his life and at least 20 children. One of those son’s, Saad Bin Laden, was active in al-Qaeda, and he was killed in a drone strike in 2009. Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces during a raid on his compound in Pakistan in May of 2011. Six of Osama Bin Laden’s children were in that compound during the raid, but Hamza Bin Laden was not one of them, even though his mother, Khairiah Sabar, was living in the compound at the time of the raid, according to BBC News.

According to the Inquisitr in an article from July of 2016, Hamza Bin Laden swore he would avenge his father’s death in a 21-minute speech titled “We Are All Osama.”

“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.”

According to BBC News, Professor Fawaz Gerges, an expert on Middle East politics, told BBC Radio 4 that Hamza Bin Laden is his father’s successor in the al-Qaeda organization.

“(Hamza Bin Laden) is the new face of al-Qaeda. He is charismatic, he is very popular with the rank and file. He was his father’s favorite son – everyone, even for the last ten years, has been talking about Hamza succeeding his father.”

According to International Business Times, Hamza Bin Laden has been on the State Department’s radar since the raid on Osama’s compound in 2011 resulted in the discovery of letters from Hamza to his father asking for al-Qaeda training. By 2015, Hamza had been named as a senior leader in the organization, sending messages out to militants calling for terror attacks against Western countries and allies, including France, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

Hamza Bin Laden and al-Qaeda have not yet released a statement regarding his addition to the U.S. terror watch list. U.S. President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump have also not yet released any statements.

The United States added Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, to its terrorist blacklist on Thursday. https://t.co/F3wwrU9wTS #9News

— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) January 5, 2017

[Featured Image by Al Jazeera/AP Images]