Reports that Bin Laden's son is dead
The United States believes that Hamza bin Laden, a son of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is dead.
That's according to a U.S. official.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, provided no further details, including when Hamza died or where.
President Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday declined to comment after NBC News first reported the U.S. assessment. Asked if he had intelligence that bin Laden's son had been killed, Trump told reporters: "I don't want to comment on it."
Separately, the White House declined comment on whether any announcement was imminent.
Hamza, believed to be about 30 years old, was at his father's side in Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and spent time with him in Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan pushed much of al Qaeda's senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution.
Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces who raided his compound in Pakistan in 2011. Hamza was thought to be under house arrest in Iran at the time, and documents recovered from the compound indicated that aides had been trying to reunite him with his father.
The New York Times reported that the United States had a role in the operation that led to Hamza's death, which it said took place in the past two years. Reuters could not immediately verify those details.
Published: by Radio NewsHub