- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN) - Through a statement, Donald Trump, president of the United States, announced on Saturday that the son of the late Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, Hamza bin Laden, had been “killed in an anti-terrorist operation of United States in the region of Afghanistan / Pakistan ”.
He did not give a period of time for the operation or death.
"The loss of Hamza bin Ladin not only deprives al Qaeda of important leadership skills and symbolic connection with his father, but undermines important operational activities of the group," the president said in the statement.
Trump also said that "Hamza bin Ladin was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups."
- A 'resurgent' al Qaeda seeks to attack airplanes in Europe, warns UK Security Minister
CNN previously reported on July 31 that the United States believed Hamza bin Laden was dead, citing a US official. The official told CNN at the time that the United States had a role in this death, but did not provide details.
Paul Cruickshank, a CNN terrorism analyst, told CNN at the time that one thing baffled investigators who closely follow al Qaeda: “If Hamza bin Laden has been dead for months, hopefully Al Qaeda has launched Some kind of praise before today. The fact that they have not done so is very unusual, given their status in the group. ”
Mark Esper, secretary of defense of the United States, also seemed to confirm in a Fox News interview in August that Hamza bin Laden was dead.
Hamza Bin Laden, son of Osama Bin Laden, would have been more than 30 years old.
Earlier this year, the US Department of State He called Bin Laden, who was believed to be just over 30 years old, an "emerging" leader in the terrorist group, offering a million-dollar reward for information leading to his capture.
The State Department said the items seized from the biggest bin Laden's hiding place in Pakistan during the US Navy raid. In 2011 that resulted in his death, they indicated that he was preparing Hamza bin Laden to replace him as the leader of al Qaeda.
Saudi Arabia revoked the citizenship of Hamza bin Laden, the official newspaper Um al-Qura reported earlier this year, citing a royal order issued to the Interior Ministry.
Kevin Bohn of CNN contributed to this story.
Al Qaeda