Hamza bin Laden

Hamza bin Laden was the son of Osama bin Laden and a prominent member of al-Qaeda who was reportedly groomed to one day serve as leader of the terrorist organization.Muna Khan, “The ‘Crown Prince of Terror’ who could be King,” Al-Arabiya, May 26, 2011, http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/05/26/150646.html; Bruce Riedel, “Al-Qaeda Strikes Back,” Al-Monitor, July 27, 2017, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/07/alqaeda-saudi-arabia-attack-bin-laden-son-royal-family.html. Bin Laden has issued multiple statements on behalf of the terror group since officially joining in August 2015, though his appearance in al-Qaeda and Taliban propaganda dates back to at least 2001.“Bin Laden sons ‘fighting with Taleban’,” BBC News, November 8, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1644044.stm. Documents found in the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where Osama bin Laden was killed, indicate that the al-Qaeda founder had groomed Hamza for leadership within the terror group.“The Hunt For Osama’s Son Hamza Bin Laden,” Daily Beast, May 11, 2011, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/05/11/hamza-bin-laden-the-hunt-for-osamas-son-who-escaped-the-raid.html; Rohan Smith, “Hamza bin Laden’s rise through the ranks of the world’s most infamous terror family,” news.au, July 12, 2016, http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/hamza-bin-ladens-rise-through-the-ranks-of-the-worlds-most-infamous-terror-family/news-story/5d0487c485617a9b4d07cae9bb1a1691. The U.S. Department of State designated Hamza bin Laden as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in January 2017.“State Department Terrorist Designation of Hamza bin Laden,” U.S. Department of State, January 5, 2017, https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/01/266522.htm. He was believed to operate out of Pakistan.Thomas Joscelyn, “Analysis: Osama bin Laden’s son praises al Qaeda’s branches in new message,” Long War Journal, August 17, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/08/osama-bin-ladens-son-praises-alqaeda-branches-in-new-message.php; Dugald McConnell and Brian Todd, “Is bin Laden’s son being groomed for key al Qaeda role?,” CNN, May 13, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/13/world/bin-laden-son-al-qaeda/. On July 31, 2019, U.S. officials reported that Hamza bin Laden has been killed. Although the date, location, and other circumstances surrounding his death are not yet available, communication among militants suggests that he is dead.Warren P Strobel, “Son of Osama Bin Laden Believed Dead,” Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/son-of-osama-bin-laden-believed-dead-11564612151. On September 14, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that Hamza bin Laden was killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region but did not further elaborate on the circumstances leading to bin Laden’s death.Alex Horton, “Osama bin Laden’s son, once the probable heir to al-Qaeda leadership, killed in U.S. operation, Trump confirms,” Washington Post, September 14, 2019, https://beta.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/09/14/hamza-bin-laden-once-possible-heir-al-qaeda-was-killed-us-operation-trump-says/.

In an audio recording released by al-Qaeda on August 14, 2015, the group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced Hamza’s official membership in the group, calling him the son of the “lion” of jihad.“State Department Terrorist Designation of Hamza bin Laden,” U.S. Department of State, January 5, 2017, https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/01/266522.htm;
Bruce Riedel, “The son speaks: Al-Qaida’s new face,” Brookings Institution, August 19, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/08/19/the-son-speaks-al-qaidas-new-face/. In the same recording, Hamza pledged allegiance to Zawahiri and deceased Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, and urged lone wolf terrorists to carry out attacks against American and Jewish targets in Washington D.C., London, Paris, and Tel Aviv.Bruce Riedel, “The son speaks: Al-Qaida’s new face,” Brookings Institution, August 19, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/08/19/the-son-speaks-al-qaidas-new-face/. He also praised the 2009 Fort Hood shooting carried out by Nidal Hassan, as well as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings perpetrated by brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.Rohan Smith, “Hamza bin Laden’s rise through the ranks of the world’s most infamous terror family,” news.au, July 12, 2016, http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/hamza-bin-ladens-rise-through-the-ranks-of-the-worlds-most-infamous-terror-family/news-story/5d0487c485617a9b4d07cae9bb1a1691.

Hamza had been featured in jihadist propaganda since at least November 2001, when he appeared in a video uploaded to an al-Qaeda-affiliated website.“Bin Laden sons ‘fighting with Taleban’,” BBC News, November 8, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1644044.stm. In the video, Hamza read a poem praising then-Taliban Emir Mullah Omar, and explored airplane wreckage alongside Taliban militants and his three older brothers.“Bin Laden sons ‘fighting with Taleban’,” BBC News, November 8, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1644044.stm. Hamza was also featured in an al-Qaeda video in 2005 in which he spoke Pashto and fought against Pakistani soldiers.“The Hunt For Osama’s Son Hamza Bin Laden,” Daily Beast, May 11, 2011, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/05/11/hamza-bin-laden-the-hunt-for-osamas-son-who-escaped-the-raid.html;
Muna Khan, “The ‘Crown Prince of Terror’ who could be King,” Al-Arabiya, May 26, 2011, http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/05/26/150646.html;
Brian Glyn Williams, “Return of the Arabs: Al-Qa’ida’s Current Military Role in the Afghan Insurgency,” Combating Terrorism Center, February 15, 2008, https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/return-of-the-arabs-al-qaida%E2%80%99s-current-military-role-in-the-afghan-insurgency. In 2008, Hamza appeared in an al-Qaeda video with his father, calling on teenagers—particularly those who were mentally disabled or came from troubled families—to form small, localized jihadist cells and “accelerate the destruction” of countries that opposed al-Qaeda.“Al Qaeda: Creative Recruiting for Suicide Bombers,” WikiLeaks, August 21, 2013, https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/91/911072_al-qaeda-creative-recruiting-for-suicide-bombers-.html;
Rohan Smith, “Hamza bin Laden’s rise through the ranks of the world’s most infamous terror family,” news.au, July 12, 2016, http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/hamza-bin-ladens-rise-through-the-ranks-of-the-worlds-most-infamous-terror-family/news-story/5d0487c485617a9b4d07cae9bb1a1691.

Reports allege that following the September 11, 2001, attacks, Osama bin Laden moved key al-Qaeda members and members of his family—including Hamza and Hamza’s mother—to Iran. There, Taliban operatives were tasked with indoctrinating Hamza with their “ideology, vision, and approach,” according to Saudi-owned news outlet Al-Arabiya. The timeline of Hamza’s alleged years in Iran is unclear, though letters between Osama bin Laden and Hamza place Hamza in Iran during the 2011 Abbottabad raid that resulted in Osama’s death.Huda al-Saleh, “From Iran to al-Qaeda: How Hamza bin Laden’s future was secured,” Al-Arabiya, October 4, 2016, https://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2016/10/04/From-Iran-to-al-Qaeda-How-Osama-bin-Laden-secured-son-s-future.html. If Hamza indeed moved to Iran following the September 11 attacks, then footage of Hamza featured in al-Qaeda videos between 2001 and 2008 was most likely filmed before the attacks.“Message from Bin Laden’s son exposes ‘Iran’s revival of al-Qaeda,” Al-Arabiya, July 26, 2016, https://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/2016/07/26/Message-from-Bin-Laden-s-son-exposes-Iran-s-attempt-to-revive-al-Qaeda-.html.

Though Hamza had been well-known within al-Qaeda and the larger jihadist community, he provided a “new face” for the terror group, according to counterterrorism expert Bruce Riedel. According to Riedel, Hamza’s face was “one that directly connects to the group’s founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy.”Bruce Riedel, “The son speaks: Al-Qaida’s new face,” Brookings Institution, August 19, 2015, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/08/19/the-son-speaks-al-qaidas-new-face/.

Hamza bin Laden occasionally released audio statements though al-Qaeda’s as-Sahab propaganda outlet, in which he called for terrorist attacks around the world and disparaged the United States and Saudi Arabia.Bruce Riedel, “Al-Qaeda Strikes Back,” Al-Monitor, July 27, 2017, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/07/alqaeda-saudi-arabia-attack-bin-laden-son-royal-family.html. Analysts surmised that Hamza would one day assume his late father’s role in al-Qaeda.Adam Withnall, “Hamza bin Laden: Could Osama’s son be the future leader of al-Qaeda?” Independent (London), May 11, 2016, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hamza-bin-laden-could-osamas-son-be-the-future-leader-of-al-qaeda-a7024951.html;
Ali Soufan, “Hamza Bin Laden, Osama’s Son, Is Helping Al-Qaeda Stage A Deadly Comeback,” Newsweek, June 19, 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/30/bin-laden-osama-son-helping-al-qaeda-stage-deadly-comeback-627207.html.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Al-Qaeda
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Type(s) of Organization:
Non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Jihadist, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
Position(s):
Senior member, son of Osama bin Laden

Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks was the deadliest ever on American soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. Since the fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda has established operations worldwide, including in Syria, the Gulf, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.

  • Designations
  • Rhetoric

United States

  • The U.S. Department of State designated “Hamza bin Laden” as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive order 13224 on January 5, 2017.“State Department Terrorist Designation of Hamza bin Laden,” U.S. Department of State, January 5, 2017, https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/01/266522.htm.

April 5, 2018

“Oh Muslim merchants, this is a chance for he who wants to obtain the honor of preparing an army to protect the Two Holy Mosques, and oh young Muslims, go forth lightly and heavily to your mujahidin brothers in Yemen the Land of Faith, to prepare the equipment and gain the necessary experience from them.”Ciaran McGrath, “Osama bin Laden’s Son Calls for Saudi Arabia Uprising as He Vows to Redistribute Wealth,” Daily Express, April 5, 2018, https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/941853/osama-bin-laden-hamza-bin-laden-al-qaeda-terrorist-terrorism-uprising-saudi-arabia.

Jan. 2018

Excerpt from a video where he denounces Saudi Arabia’s alliance with the West and uniting with the British Empire against the Ottoman Empire:

“So look—may Allah have mercy on you—how Ibn Saud made himself an obedient representative to the British occupant power, and an agent to it, where he surrendered everything that he can surrender in return for receiving money and weapons from it to fight the allies of the Ottomans. So would it be right after all this for him to become an idol for the Islamic Ummah? Through this, Ibn Saud terminated his loyalty to the Islamic Ummah outside his borders, and made himself a delegate for the Crusaders and a representative for them.”Cristina Maza, “Hamza bin Laden, Osama’s Son, Denounces Saudi Arabia, Calls for Overthrow of Monarchy in New Al-Qaeda Video,” Newsweek, January 19, 2018, https://www.newsweek.com/hamza-bin-laden-osama-saudi-785121.

Dec. 2017

Excerpt from a video in which bin Laden calls for the overthrow of the Saudi Arabian regime following President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel:

“Indeed, the duty towards this family that betrayed the religion, the Ummah and the sanctities, is to remove and eradicate them, and establish in their place the law of Allah the Great and Almighty.”Cristina Maza, “Bin Laden’s Son Calls for Overthrow of Saudi Arabian Regime Following Trump’s Jerusalem Announcement,” Newsweek, December 11, 2017, https://www.newsweek.com/bin-ladens-son-saudi-arabia-jerusalem-743990.

Nov. 2017

“I invite Muslims generally to take revenge on the Americans, the murderers of the Sheikh [Bin Laden], specifically from those who participated in this heinous crime.”Lizzie Dearden, “Osama bin Laden’s Son Calls for Terrorists to Avenge His Father’s Death,” Independent, November 8, 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/osama-bin-laden-son-revenge-terror-attacks-calls-hamza-avenge-fathers-dead-al-qaeda-resurgence-a8044571.html.

Sept. 2017

“In order for the people of Syria to resist the Crusader, Shiite and international aggression, Muslims — all Muslims — must stand with them, support them and give them victory. Wakefulness is essential, as is quick, serious and organized movement, to support the people of blessed Syria before it is too late.”“Bin Laden’s Son Call for Jihad in Syria,” Times of Israel, September 14, 2017, https://www.timesofisrael.com/bin-ladens-son-calls-for-jihad-in-syria/.

Jan. 2018

Renews his call for Saudi Arabia’s monarchy to be overthrown: “So look—may Allah have mercy on you—how Ibn Saud made himself an obedient representative to the British occupant power, and an agent to it, where he surrendered everything that he can surrender in return for receiving money and weapons from it to fight the allies of the Ottomans. So would it be right after all this for him to become an idol for the Islamic Ummah? […] Do you know what the Uqair agreements are? They are agreements to rally behind the disbelievers, and to denounce the believers, and to hand over the lands to the Crusaders so that they would occupy it officially yet indirectly. […] Through this, Ibn Saud terminated his loyalty to the Islamic Ummah outside his borders, and made himself a delegate for the Crusaders and a representative for them.”Cristina Maza, “Hamza Bin Laden, Osama’s son, denounces Saudi Arabia, calls for overthrow of monarchy in new Al-Qaeda video”, Newsweek, January 19, 2018, www.newsweek.com/hamza-bin-laden-osama-saudi-785121.

May 2017

“Prepare diligently to inflict crippling losses on those who have disbelieved. Follow in the footsteps of martyrdom-seekers before you.”Joby Warrick and Souad Mekhennet, “Bin Laden’s Son Steps into Father’s Shoes as al-Qaeda Attempts a Comeback,” Washington Post, May 27, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/bin-ladens-son-steps-into-fathers-shoes-as-al-qaeda-attempts-a-comeback/2017/05/27/0c89ffc0-4198-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.c4b1403a2b92.

May 9, 2016

“[Muslims should] participate in the intifada” by “killing the Jews and attacking their interests everywhere”“Bin Laden’s son urges jihad Against Jews, US interests,” Fox News, May 9, 2016, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/05/09/bin-ladens-son-urges-jihad-against-jews-us-interests.html.

May 2016

Al-Qaeda audio message, “Jerusalem Is a Bride and Our Blood Is Her Dowry”:
“The Islamic umma (nation) should focus on jihad in al-Sham… and unite the ranks of mujahidin. …There is no longer an excuse for those who insist on division and disputes now that the whole world has mobilized against Muslims.”Adam Withnall, “Hamza bin Laden: Could Osama’s son be the future leader of al-Qaeda?,” Independent (London), May 11, 2016, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hamza-bin-laden-could-osamas-son-be-the-future-leader-of-al-qaeda-a7024951.html;
“LISTEN: Osama bin Laden’s Son Urges Jihadists to Go to Syria,” Heavy, May 9, 2016, http://heavy.com/news/2016/05/al-qaeda-audio-message-usama-bin-laden-hamza-jerusalem-is-a-bride-and-our-blood-is-her-dowery-mp3-youtube/.

September 2015

Except from al-Qaeda’s Inspire magazine:
“I figured that the Zionist-Crusader alliance led by America today is like a bird: America is its head, NATO is one wing and the Jewish state in the occupied Palestine is the other wing, and the legs are the oppressive dictators sitting on the chests of the peoples of the Muslim Ummah … By concentrating on the head, with permission from Allah, it guarantees that all will vanish. This is the general plan of the Mujahideen.”“Words of Wisdom,” (14-15), Inspire, September 2015, Issue 14, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/inspire-magazine-14.pdf.

May or June 2015

“[Jihadists must] take the battlefield from Kabul, Baghdad and Gaza to Washington, London, Paris and Tel Aviv.”Ali Soufan, “Hamza Bin Laden, Osama’s Son, Is Helping Al-Qaeda Stage A Deadly Comeback,” Newsweek, June 19, 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/30/bin-laden-osama-son-helping-al-qaeda-stage-deadly-comeback-627207.html.

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On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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