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Iran denies Saudi allegations of harbouring bin Laden's son

Tehran denied on Tuesday allegations made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Iran was harbouring Osama bin Laden's son and supporting him as the new leader of al Qaeda.

 

Decades-old animosity between Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia and revolutionary Shi'ite Iran has deepened in recent years as the two sides wage proxy wars in the Middle East and beyond, including in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

 

Iran's murky and fluid relationship with al Qaeda has contributed to tensions with Riyadh, which previously accused Tehran of backing al Qaeda and sheltering its members.

 

Prince Mohammed told CBS in an interview that Iran was protecting al Qaeda operatives, including some of bin Laden's relatives.

 

"This includes the son of Osama bin Laden, the new leader of al Qaeda. He lives in Iran and works out of Iran. He is supported by Iran," he said. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi called crown prince's comments a "big lie".

 

Hamza bin Laden was one of several bin Ladens who ended up in Iran after the September 11 attacks on New York in 2001. Documents recovered from his father's compound in Pakistan after he was killed in a US raid in 2011 said Hamza was, at least for a period, held under house arrest Iran. His current whereabouts are not known.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.20.18, 15:41