US Says Osama bin Laden’s Son Hamza is Dead

The US says it has received evidence confirming that the son of the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead.

Without providing further details, a US government official on Wednesday told CNN that the US had a role in the death of Hamza bin Laden. The New York Times reported that Hamza had been killed in an operation within the last two years.

In February this year, the US State Department said Mr. Hamza, who was believed to be in his early 30s, was preparing to take over leadership of terror group al Qaeda, which his father headed before he was killed by US security forces in 2011.

The department offered a million-dollar reward for information leading to his capture, noting that he was encouraging his followers to stage attacks against the US.

“Hamza bin Laden has released audio and video messages on the Internet, calling on his followers to launch attacks against the United States and its Western allies, and he has threatened attacks against the United States in revenge for the May 2011 killing of his father by US military forces,” the State Department said in February.