Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, 25, is added to America’s terror blacklist amid fears he will soon seize control of Al Qaeda
Hamza bin Laden has been branded "a serious risk" by the US State Department months after claiming he plans to avenge his father's death
OSAMA bin Laden's son has been blacklisted by the US over fears he could follow in his father's footsteps.
Hamza bin Laden is now on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list after he was "determined to have committed, or pose a serious risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security."
Hamza is believed to be in his mid-twenties and is tipped to become the future leader of al-Qaeda after being officially named as a member in 2014 by his dad's successor Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Al-Zawahiri leads the terror group currently but Hamza has been caught on video promising to take revenge for the assassination of his dad, who was killed in 2011.
The State Department said: "Hamza bin Laden is actively engaged in terrorism" adding that terrorism designations deny individuals access to the U.S. financial system and "can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and other governments."
RELATED STORIES
A 21-minute rant posted was posted online just months ago by Hamza, who vowed to continue with al-Qaeda’s work.
He claimed in the clip, titled We Are All Osama, that the US will be targeted in terror attacks similar to 9/11.
He said: "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."
The blacklist bars US citizens from doing business with known terrorists by imposing financial measures on them.
Senior al-Qaeda leader Ibrahim Al-Banna was also added to the list.
Osama Bin Laden was killed in a May 2011 U.S. raid at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Acting on CIA intelligence, the raid saw a team of operatives flown across the border from Afghanistan who gunned him down when they stormed the building.
Hamza is the son of one of the three Bin Laden wives found living in the compound during the raid.
But the youngster himself – once dubbed the “Crown Prince of Terror” – was not present at the time.
His whereabouts today is not known. Analysts speculate that he may be preparing to take over leadership of Al-Qaeda.
He has long been considered the heir to bin Laden’s throne of terror and has appeared in Al-Qaeda propaganda videos since he was a teenager.
Hamza provides a younger voice for the group whose ageing leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanized by ISIS.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368