The son of Osama bin Laden has called on the followers of his father to “rise in rebellion … against the agents of the Americans” and “to incite the masses … until the preparations are complete & the masses are ready for an uprising.” Hamza bin Laden has been being groomed for a larger role in his father’s organization for some time. The al-Qaeda leadership has gradually increased his exposure as his respect within the organization also increases.

In this latest message bin Laden, now 28, called on all Muslims to “take revenge on the Americans” for killing his father. His comments were made thru al-Qaeda as-Sahab Media Foundation in a speech on Tuesday.

Hamza told followers he rejected democracy, saying “freedom cannot be earned with worthless pieces of paper cast inside a ballot box.”

The release of the speech came just a few days after the CIA released a video of Hamza’s wedding as part of a massive trove of documents recovered during the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed his father.

Prior to the release from the CIA, the public had seen only photos of Hamza as a child.

The favored son of Osama bin Laden, Hamza as a young child was often seen at his father’s side, sometimes holding his rifle, or at others reciting a poem or prayer. Now as an adult, he bears a striking resemblance to his father and has followed in his footsteps in engaging in global jihad.

Hamza was married in Iran in 2009 to the daughter of a senior al-Qaeda official although his father was hiding in Pakistan at the time, he was anxious to see the video and that was found on bin Laden’s computer when it was raided by Navy SEALs in 2011. Both his father and older brother Khalid were killed in the raid.

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Photo courtesy CIA