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16 Jun 2011 17:51

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World: Counter-terrorism experts fear intro attack by Zawahiri

  • relief? Ayman al-Zawahiri’s rise to the top spot in the al-Qaeda organization bears some positive realities for the United States. Namely, he is nowhere near as charismatic or effective a leader as Osama bin Laden was.
  • danger One big risk with having a new leader uncertain of how loyal his people are, is that he might feel the need to assert himself with a splash. As such, counter-terrorism experts fear a possible “big” attack in the near term. source

16 Jun 2011 10:34

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World: It’s official: Ayman al-Zawahiri is al-Qaeda’s new leader

There was speculation that Saif al-Adel would get the job instead. Guess not. We’re betting this eulogy for the slain Bin Laden probably had something to do with it. source

18 May 2011 10:17

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World: Reported al-Qaeda leadership change suggests a major rift

  • appointment According to many independent but unconfirmed reports, al-Qaeda’s new interim leader is Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian militant wanted in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998 — al-Qaeda’s best-known attacks before 9/11.
  • slight If this is the case, it would be a major slight for Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s longtime right-hand man. Both men, however, are longtime senior members of the group, and a permanent change in structure is still forthcoming. source

09 May 2011 17:27

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World: Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda’s new top dog

  • Meet the new boss, not like the old boss: Ayman al-Zawahiri is now broadly considered to be al-Qaeda’s new top man. The 59-year-old has been within the organization for years, working as a strategist from the days of the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole until today — in recent years he’d been more vocal, through audio and video releases, than even the vastly more popular Osama bin Laden. His ascension is generally viewed as good news for the opponents of al-Qaeda; Zawahiri is Egyptian, which is a distinct area of racial tension within al-Qaeda, and while he’s a successful strategist, most consider him utterly lacking in the charisma or leadership ability that made bin Laden such a dangerous figure. source