Reports: Son of Osama bin Laden dead

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The United States has received intelligence that a son of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is dead, according to news reports.

Hamza bin Laden was killed some time in the last two years, NBC News, ABC News and CNN reported. At least one report said U.S. intelligence was involved in his death.

The U.S. State Department earlier this year offered $1 million for information on Hamza bin Laden, who's been accused of threatening the United States and calling for revenge for his father's death. Experts say he was a potential al-Qaida leader.

It's believed bin Laden was born around 1989 as one of more than 20 children of the notorious terror figure and mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He moved to Afghanistan in 1996, the same year Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States.

Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 during a raid on his compound in Pakistan.

Expert and former FBI agent Ali Soufan said "Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organization his father founded" and is "likely to be perceived favorably by the jihadi rank and file."

In his last public statement released by al-Qaida media, Hamza bin Laden threatened Saudi Arabia and called on the Saudi people to revolt.

Tom Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said while it's "doubtful" Hamza bin Laden could surpass older leaders in hierarchy, he was "groomed to be a leader."

"Hamza was both the biological and ideological heir to his father, and al Qaeda counted on him to speak to a new generation of jihadists," Joscelyn said.