Bin Laden’s son marries 9/11 hijacker’s daughter

London, August 6

Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta, the lead hijacker and one of the ringleaders of the September 2001 terror attacks in the US, according to the family.

The marriage was confirmed by Osama bin Laden’s half-brothers during an interview with the Guardian. “We’re not sure where he is, but it could be Afghanistan,” the brothers said, adding that they believed Hamza had taken a senior position within the al-Qaida and was aiming to avenge the death of his father.

Hamza is the son of one of Osama bin Laden’s three surviving wives, Khairiah Sabar, who was living with her husband in Abbottabad when he was killed.

Western intelligence agencies have been increasingly focusing on Hamza’s whereabouts over the past two years. 

Another of Bin Laden’s sons, Khalid, was killed in the Abbottabad raid. A third, Saad, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2009.

Letters purportedly written by Osama bin Laden and seized from the compound suggested he was grooming Hamza to replace him.

The late militant leader’s wives and surviving children have returned to Saudi Arabia, where they were given refuge by the former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

The women and children remain in close contact with Osama bin Laden’s mother, Alia Ghanem, who told the Guardian in a recent interview that she remained in regular touch with surviving family members. — IANS