Osama Bin Laden's son marries the daughter of a 9/11 hijacker
Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, has reportedly tied the knot with the daughter of Mohammed Atta, one of the ringleaders behind the 9/11 terror attacks.
The news of his marriage was revealed by Osama bin Laden’s half brothers, Ahmad al-Attas who also claimed that Hamza had taken a senior position within al-Qaeda and was aiming to avenge the death of his father. While no one knows where Hamza currently resides, Ahmad believes he could be in Afganistan. "We have heard [Hamza] has married the daughter of Mohammed Atta. We’re not sure where he is, but it could be Afghanistan," he said.
Hamza is the son of one of Osama’s three surviving wives, Khairiah Sabar.
As reported by Guardian, Khairiah lived in the compound in Abbottabad with Osama where he was killed by US Navy Seals in 2011. While there is no news about Hamza's whereabouts, the outlet claims that he has made several public statements to al-Qaida followers and is a deputy to the terrorist group’s current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Authorities have been on alert ever since.
They believe he could be a possible figurehead for al-Qaeda who has been encouraging followers to get into action. An association, like marriage, between the families of two people who were involved in the 9/11 attack shows that even after all these years the legacy of those awful events still plays a central role for al-Qaeda and its followers.
"We thought everyone was over this. Then the next thing I knew, Hamza was saying, ‘I am going to avenge my father.’ I don’t want to go through that again. If Hamza was in front of me now, I would tell him, ‘God guide you. Think twice about what you are doing. Don’t retake the steps of your father. You are entering horrible parts of your soul," Hamza's uncle, Hassan told the publication.
Before Osama’s death, one of his other sons, Saad, was also killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan. Khalid, Osama's third son, was also killed in the US raid in Abbottabad.
Letters that were seized by the authorities after Osama's death suggest that he was working to have Hamza replace him within the organization. Osama's surviving wives and children are now living in Saudi Arabia. They are also in close contact with his mother, Alia Ghanem. Alia, who is in her 70s now described Osama as ‘very good’ and ‘shy’ as a child. She added that he was deeply religious when he was younger.
He was very straight. Very good at school. He really liked to study. He spent all his money on Afghanistan – he would sneak off under the guise of family business," she said. Alia added that she never thought Osama would grow up to be a terrorist who would be responsible for the deaths of uncountable lives while adding that it was his time in the university that changed him. "The people at university changed him. He became a different man," she said. "He was a very good child until he met some people who pretty much brainwashed him in his early 20s. You can call it a cult."
Other members of the family believe that Alia is still in denial about her son.