Hamza bin Laden, the son of former Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, has issued a threat against the United States in retaliation for the killing of his father, according to a new audio message posted online.
In a 21-minute speech entitled “We Are All Osama,” bin Laden’s son promises to continue the terrorist group’s war against the U.S. and its allies.
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“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 says in the speech posted by the SITE Intelligence Group, according to the Associated Press.
“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.”
Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in a May 2011 raid at his Abbottabad, Pakistan compound.
“If you think that your sinful crime that you committed in Abbottabad has passed without punishment, then you thought wrong,” Hamza says.
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According to the Brookings Institute, Hamza bin Laden is believed to be in his mid-twenties and released his first audio message for al-Qaida last August as the new face of the terrorist group.
Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri introduced the young bin Laden to emphasize his legitimacy as the heir to Osama bin Laden.
“The young bin Laden is an attractive spokesman for al-Qaida. He was with his father in Afghanistan before 9/11 and with him in Pakistan after 9/11, at least part of the time. He carries the legacy of his father’s name and life’s work,” Bruce Riedel of Brookings wrote last year.
“Hamza provides a new face for al-Qaida, one that directly connects to the group’s founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy.”