Bin Laden Jnr’s star on the rise

– A photo montage published by al-Qaeda to mark the 16th anniversary of 9/11 shows the face of Osama bin Laden in the flames of the Twin Towers.

At his side is his son Hamza, the “crown prince of jihad”.

The young man, now 28, has appeared since childhood in the propaganda network founded by his father.

And now some officials and analysts believe he might try to unify jihadists around the world, taking advantage of the military weakness of the Islamic State (IS) group.

In a report published by the Combating Terrorism Centre (CTC), former FBI special agent and al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote: “Now in his late 20s, Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organisation his father founded.

“As a member of the Bin Laden dynasty, Hamza is likely to be perceived favourably by the jihadi rank-and-file.

“With the Islamic State ‘caliphate’ apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement.”

The 15th of Bin Laden’s 20 children, a son of his third wife, Hamza has been groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps since childhood.

At his side in Afghanistan before 9/11, he learned how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and “Crusaders” in videos uploaded online.

On the eve of the attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, Hamza was separated from his father, whom he was never to see again.

“As the Islamic State continues to crumble, many of its adherents will be looking for new banners under which to fight. Many factors suggest that Hamza could be a highly effective leader.

“It remains to be seen how, exactly, the organisation will make use of him, but it is clear that his star is on the rise. That should worry policymakers in the West as well as in the Muslim world,” the report said. – AFP