Terror threat

Bin Laden’s son may lead new generation of a resurrected Al-Qaeda, and the timing couldn’t be better

It appears that Hamza Bin Laden, a son of the late founder of Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, may be the heir apparent to lead the militant group, based on what the US State Department now says.

They declared Hamza – believed to be about 30 years old – the emerging leader of the terrorist group and announced a $1 million reward for information about him.

Despite trillions of American dollars spent and the enormous loss of life to try and eradicate Al-Qaeda, it has shown a remarkable resilience and now a resurgence with the demise of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

The current leader of Al-Qaeda, or AQ, is Ayman al-Zawahiri. Despite the State Department’s announcement, Zawahiri remains in charge but sees Hamza as the next generation of leadership.

What Zawahiri has been doing while the world’s attention has been focused on the questionable destruction of IS has quietly been laying good ground work when AQ’s leadership shifts to Hamza.

Zawahiri, who by his nature is old school and lacks total charisma unlike Bin Laden before him, has recognized the need to maintain a priority on the ‘Far Enemy’ – the West – while putting AQ’s emphasis on the ‘Near Enemy’ by seeking “to create safe bases across the Islamic world for al-Qaeda and its affiliates to function,” according to Sajjan M. Gohel, International Security Director for the Asia-Pacific Foundation, a think-tank based in London.