Osama bin Laden's son threatens revenge for father's death

Hamza bin Laden, son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has featured in an audio message threatening to revenge the death of his father.

The 21-minute message posted online threatened to strike the United States and its allies for “oppression of Muslim lands”.

“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,” Hamza said.

“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 added.

Hamza, who is in his mid-twenties was introduced by the organization’s new chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in an audio message last year.

He promises to continue the global militant group’s fight in the recent message entitled “We Are All Osama”, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Hamza provides a younger voice for the group whose aging leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanized by the Islamic State.

Osama bin Laden was killed at his Pakistani hideout by U.S. commandos in 2011 in a major blow to the militant group which carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Documents recovered from bin Laden’s compound and published by the United States last year alleged that his aides tried to reunite the militant leader with Hamza, who had been held under house arrest in Iran.

Reuters
View on Africanews
>