The grandson of the man behind 9/11 Osama Bin Laden has died, according to reports.
The child, who is also called Osama, was praised by his father Hamza Bin Laden for his ‘martyrdom’ in death.
A letter which was written by Hamza, who is hailed as the ‘heir’ to the leadership of al-Qaeda, mourned the death of the ‘hero cub’ and described his son as the ‘grandson of bravery’, saying he liked to act out scenes of martyrdom when he was playing.
The letter was published by the Global Islamic Media Front, which is al-Qaeda’s propaganda department, as well as the picture of the young Osama.
The letter, entitled ‘Letter From Sheikh Mujahid Hamza Bin Laden’, said:
The grandson of the martyr, our son Osama… has ascended to the highest paradise of heaven.
Tragedies that we meet… such as these only make us stronger and more steadfast.
We console ourselves and you on the martyrdom on the hero cub… the grandson of bravery… our son Osama, may Allah have mercy upon him.
It is currently not confirmed just how the boy died, and it is also unclear how old he is.
Despite this, sources are claiming the boy was 12, and died of an illness, though no further details have been released.
The Hindustan Times are claiming the boy was killed in an air raid on an al-Qaeda base on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan between the months of July and August.
In November, Osama bin Laden’s ‘favourite’ son called on Muslims around the world to assist in terror attacks in retaliation for killing his father.
The message came just after a video of Hamza’s wedding was released, which showed bin Laden’s son as an adult for the first time.
It is thought that the man has emerged as an heir to his father as a prominent member of the terrorist organisation, and the US State Department has added him to its list of global terrorists.
