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U.S. hunting for bin Laden's son, will pay up to $1M for info on his whereabouts

Hamza bin Laden has urged attacks on U.S. and its allies as retaliation for father's death, officials said.
Image: Hamza Bin Laden
Hamza bin Laden.CIA via AP

The U.S. State Department on Thursday announced that it would pay as much as $1 million for information leading to the whereabouts of Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden.

The department's Counter-Terrorism Rewards Program described the younger bin Laden on Twitter as "an emerging al-Qa'ida leader" who "has threatened attacks against the United States and allies."

U.S. officials say he has called on followers to retaliate for the 2011 capture and death of his father in Pakistan at the hands of U.S. Navy SEAL team members.

Bin Laden's threatening audio and video pronouncements are on the internet, according to the State Department.

Letters seized at the compound where Osama bin Laden was hunted down indicate he was grooming Hamza bin Laden to take over leadership of Al Qaeda, according to the U.S. department.

The younger Bin Laden, now roughly 30, is said to be married to the daughter of 9/11 mastermind Mohammed Atta.

Under United Nations action Thursday, member states are required to freeze bin Laden's assets and ensure he is not able to use them as points of travel, State Department ambassador-at-large and counterterrorism coordinator Nathan A. Sales said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Sales and State Department Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Michael T. Evanoff announced the reward.