3 hrs ago
Al-Qaeda Video Features Hamza bin Laden on 9/11 Anniversary
Al-Qaeda released a new video on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Its media group, As-Sahab, made the video.
The video shows Hamza bin Laden, the son of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
The United States said Hamza was killed in 2019.
However, Al-Qaeda never publicly confirmed that he was dead.
Reports in 2024 said he might still be alive and leading the group.
The video also shows former leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
It begins with footage of an older attack on a naval dockyard in Karachi.
Experts think Al-Qaeda is using the bin Laden family name to attract new supporters.
Al-Qaeda’s media arm, As-Sahab, released a 50- to 52-minute propaganda video on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The video includes previously unseen footage of Hamza bin Laden, whose death was reported and later confirmed by the United States in 2019.
Al-Qaeda has never publicly confirmed Hamza bin Laden’s death or issued a customary funeral eulogy.
The video also contains previously unseen imagery of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, killed in a 2022 U.S. drone strike in Kabul.
Analysts say the video uses the bin Laden family name to reinforce current leader Saif al-Adl’s ideology and attract recruits.
- Who
- Al-Qaeda, its media arm As-Sahab, Hamza bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adl are central to the report.
- What
- As-Sahab released a propaganda video featuring previously unseen footage of Hamza bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri.
- Where
- The release location is not specified. The video includes footage linked to Karachi, Pakistan, and Ayman al-Zawahiri’s reported death in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- When
- The video was released on September 11, 2026, marking 25 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks; the U.S. confirmed Hamza’s reported death in 2019.
- Why
- Analysts believe Al-Qaeda is using the bin Laden family name to reinforce its ideology and attract a new generation of recruits.
U.S. Death Report
Al-Qaeda’s Public Position
Hamza bin Laden’s status
U.S. Death Report
Intelligence analysts believe the use of Hamza and the bin Laden family name supports Saif al-Adl’s ideology and recruitment efforts.
Al-Qaeda’s Public Position
The video presents Hamza and historical Al-Qaeda figures within the group’s propaganda narrative; its footage may be old or AI-generated, and its origin is unclear.
Key facts
- Publisher
- As-Sahab, Al-Qaeda’s media arm
- Video length
- Reported as 50 minutes in one account and 52 minutes in another
- Release date
- September 11, 2026
- Occasion
- 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks
- Featured figure
- Hamza bin Laden
- Additional footage
- Previously unseen imagery of Ayman al-Zawahiri
- U.S. position
- The White House confirmed in September 2019 that Hamza bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region
Sources
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