Saudi Arabia revokes citizenship of Hamza bin Laden

Team Udayavani, Mar 2, 2019, 3:15 AM IST

Dubai: Saudi Arabia announced Friday it had revoked the citizenship of Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late al-Qaida leader who has become an increasingly prominent figure in the terror network.

Saudi Arabia revoked his citizenship via a royal decree in November, a notice published Friday by the kingdom’s official gazette said.

There was no explanation why the order was only becoming public now.

However, the announcement comes after the US government offered a USD 1 million reward for information leading to his capture as part of its “Rewards for Justice” program.

Bin Laden’s son has emerged as a leader of the al-Qaida terrorist group.

His father was killed in a US military raid in Pakistan in May 2011.

Hamza bin Laden was named a “specially designated global terrorist” in January 2017. He has released audio and video messages calling for attacks against the U.S. and its allies.

Al-Qaida was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and a host of other assaults against Western interests.