Tuesday, May 3, 2011

The successor to bin Laden? Al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor

Osama bin Laden along with his right arm al-Zawahiri after the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, it opens the question of succession within the terrorist organization. To take control, even by the former head of Pakistani intelligence (ISI), retired General Hamid Gul, will be the right arm of the Saudi Sheikh, Ayman al Zawahiri, the Egyptian doctor was born June 19, 1951 (Read his FBI file on the site), one of the founders of al Qaeda in the late eighties.

Fifty-nine years old, born into a family of Egyptian judges and doctors, the 'doctor', number two of Osama Bin Laden is on the side of the 'sheikh of terror' for over a decade, since, in the name of common struggle against "Jews and Crusaders", the Egyptian wing of jihad, he joined what were at the Saudi billionaire.

Entered the Muslim Brotherhood at age 14-the radical Sunni group that has inspired Osama bin Laden from the very beginning of his studies in a religious school in Jeddah - Al Zawahiri was among the hundreds of people arrested following the assassination of President Egyptian Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981.

Released shortly after, he went to Afghanistan, where he joined the mujahedeen resistance against the Soviet occupation it was then that for the first time he came into contact with Bin Laden, which gave birth to Al Qaeda. In 1996, the United States - that have placed upon him a reward of $ 25 million - considered the most serious and credible threats against U.S.

targets. As further shown by the attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998, that killed over 250 people. The authorities in Cairo consider it also responsible of the attack in Luxor in November 1997, which killed 62 tourists, for which he was sentenced to death in absentia.

Face and voice of Al Qaeda - there are numerous audio and video messages recorded in recent years for incitement to Jihad, to denounce "the Crusaders, the Arabs and Zionist conspiracies traitors" - al-Zawahiri was already a target of American raids to ' early 2006. On 13 January, the CIA launched an attack on Damadola, a Pakistani village bordering Afghanistan, where the Egyptian doctor believed he were invited to a dinner of militant leaders.

The raid killed 18 people, including five women and five children, while al-Zawahiri, whose presence at the dinner was never actually confirmed, escaped the attack American aircraft. In an audio message for the month of April 2008, the number two of al Qaeda called the United Nations "an enemy of Islam and Muslims" and ensured that Bin Laden was "alive and in good health." In January, a new message, the Egyptian doctor vowed revenge for Israeli attacks on Gaza.

On December 14, 2009 Zawahiri boost the appeal to forge an Islamic state in Israel and urged her to "promote the jihad against the Jews and their supporters.

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