Osama bin Laden's son designated terrorist by US

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. on Thursday designated the son of deceased al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as a "specially designated terrorist".

Hamza bin Laden is a rising figure in his father's worldwide jihadist group.

The State Department's designation prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with him, and he is barred from access to the U.S. financial system.

Any property he has within U.S. jurisdiction has been frozen.

The junior bin Laden was announced to be an official member of al-Qaeda by its chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in August, 2015, the agency said in a statement.

Hamza has made repeated calls for attacks on western countries, including the U.S., in messages disseminated by al-Qaeda.

He is "actively engaged in terrorism", the department said.

The younger bin Laden's father and brother were killed in a 2011 special forces raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan.