Al-Qaeda’s media wing As-Sahab has reportedly released a video featuring Hamza bin Laden, the son of former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The 50-minute video, titled “A Quarter Century of the 11 September Raids,” reportedly contains previously unseen footage of Hamza as well as images of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Hindustan Times has not independently verified the authenticity of the video.
Hamza bin Laden was widely reported to have been killed in a US counterterrorism operation in 2019, reportedly somewhere along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He was regarded as a potential successor to his father and had emerged as an important figure in Al-Qaeda’s propaganda efforts.
However, Al-Qaeda has never officially acknowledged Hamza’s reported death or issued the type of funeral statement it has traditionally released after the deaths of senior leaders. Reports in 2025 had also claimed that Hamza could still be alive.
According to intelligence sources cited by the Times of India, the newly released footage is intended to reinforce the ideological messaging of Al-Qaeda’s current leadership under Saif al-Adl. The use of Hamza’s image and the Bin Laden name is reportedly aimed at attracting attention and potentially aiding recruitment.
The video reportedly opens with footage related to the September 2014 attack on Pakistan’s Karachi naval dockyard. Intelligence sources suggested that the selection of the incident could highlight the historical influence of Pakistani militants within Al-Qaeda’s leadership and propaganda networks.
Hamza appears several times in the footage, reportedly seated against a mud wall and wearing a traditional white turban, with an assault rifle placed beside him. The imagery appears designed to associate him with the organisation’s earlier leadership and reinforce his connection to Osama bin Laden.
Hamza’s reported death was first widely reported in 2019, although the US Pentagon did not publicly confirm or deny the reports at the time. The exact location and circumstances of the alleged operation also remained unclear.
The latest video has therefore renewed questions about Hamza’s fate and Al-Qaeda’s continued use of the Bin Laden legacy. However, without independent verification, the footage cannot by itself establish whether Hamza is alive or when the recordings were made.
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