Ayman al-Zawahiri killed, Saif al-Adel likely to be al-Qaeda’s next chief: 5 points about him

The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in a targeted US drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, has once again left al-Qaeda without an ’emir’.

The 71-year-old succeeded Osama bin Laden as the terrorist group’s chief after the latter was killed in a US special forces operation in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in May 2011.

Now, with Zawahiri, too, eliminated, veteran al-Qaeda member Saif al-Adel is likely to be elevated as the group’s next leader, reported Middle East institute.

Here’s a brief profile of Saif al-Adel:

(1.) According to FBI’s records, Adel was born on April 11, though his birthyear is either 1960 or 1963. Like Zawahiri, Adel, too, is an Egyptian citizen, and served in his country’s army, rising to the rank of Colonel.

(2.) He was previously affiliated with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), founded by Zawahiri, and is believed to be an explosives expert.

(3.) Designated as a ‘Most Wanted Terrorist’ by the FBI, Adel is accused by the agency of conspiring to kill American nationals, trying to destroy properties and buildings belonging to the US, and trying to destroy the National Defence Utilities of the United States.

(4.) The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading directly to arrest or conviction of the terrorist commander, who is wanted in connection with the August 1998 bombings targeting American embassies in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Nairobi (Kenya).

(5.) In October 1993, aged 30 or 33, the former Egyptian army officer played a key role in the infamous ‘Black Hawk Down’ incident, which resulted in the death of at least 18 US servicemen in Mogadishu, Somalia.