The son and heir-apparent to Osama bin Laden is reportedly dead, according to U.S. intelligence officials.
Since U.S. Special Forces killed bin Laden during the famous raid on his Pakistani compound in 2011, there have been questions around who could fill his void in Al-Qaeda. While he had several lieutenants who took command, the heir-apparent seemed to be his son, Hamza bin Laden.
Hamza bin Laden, who has been in hiding since 2011, released a public statement in 2018 calling for the Arabian Peninsula to rise and overthrow their respective governments, specifically calling out Saudi Arabia.
Reports from 2017 also suggested Hamza bin Laden was being groomed to take a leadership role in Al-Qaeda in the next few years. A piece written by counterterror expert and former FBI agent Ali Soufan warned that "Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organization his father founded." He also said Hamza bin Laden was "perceived favorably by the jihadi rank-and-file" and could "reunify the global jihadi movement" after ISIS' power was weakened.
The U.S. State Department in February began offering $1 million for information for Hamza bin Laden's whereabouts. He was described on Twitter as "an emerging al Qaeda leader" that had been threatening the U.S. and its respective allies.
U.S. officials have yet to provide any details around Hamza bin Laden's reported death or if the U.S. was involved in any manner.
Hamza bin Laden is believed to be 29 or 30 years old. His brother, Khalid, was killed along with Osama bin Laden in the 2011 Navy Seal raid.
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