US State Department: Al-Adel is said to be the new al-Qaeda leader

After the death of al-Qaeda boss al-Zawahiri last summer, according to the United States and the UN, there is a new leader: it is said to be the long-time Egyptian extremist al-Adel.

Since the death of al-Qaeda boss Aiman ​​al-Zawahiri last summer, the terrorist organization has officially had no leader: according to US findings, long-time Egyptian extremist Saif al-Adel is seen as the new head of the al-Qaeda terrorist network. This was confirmed by US State Department spokesman Ned Price when asked by journalists. The US government’s assessment is consistent with a UN report distributed to the UN Security Council on Monday, Price said.

Bounty placed on Al Adel

In this report, the former military was identified as the new head of the terror network. Accordingly, it is assumed that al-Adel is currently in Iran. The US is looking for the man in connection with the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. They have put a $10 million bounty on his head, according to an FBI warrant emerges. He is described as a senior al-Qaeda leader and head of the Hittin Committee, which directs and coordinates the group’s transnational activities. Al-Adel, now around 60 years old, was a former lieutenant colonel in the Egyptian special forces.

According to the UN report, the prevailing view among UN member states is that al-Adel is now leading al-Qaeda. However, he was not officially proclaimed “Emir” of the Islamist terrorist network for two reasons: On the one hand, the matter is delicate because the radical Islamic Taliban ruling in Afghanistan did not want to admit that al-Qaeda boss al-Sawahiri was killed last year by the USA was killed in a house in Kabul. On the other hand, al-Adel lives in Iran and thus in a predominantly Shia country, whereas al-Qaeda is a Sunni group.

The UN report said al-Adel’s stay in Iran raised questions about “al Qaeda’s ambitions in asserting its leadership of a global movement in the face of challenges posed by IS,” the rival jihadist militia Islamic State.

Ex-FBI investigator: “His temper is notorious”

Former FBI investigator Ali Soufan, who was involved in the manhunt for al-Qaeda operatives, describes al-Adel as a shrewd personality with a poker face, according to Reuters. “His temper is notorious. With his sharp tongue, he threatens violence to anyone who displeases him. He is known to immediately punish disloyalty with ruthless violence,” wrote Soufan. With subordinates he can be contemptuous and even brutal. On the other hand, he is also known for friendly advice. The expert at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, Yoram Schweitzer, judged: “He is a very courageous, professional and cold-blooded personality.”

Al-Adel is said to have an important role

Experts assume that al-Adel has belonged to the innermost al-Qaeda circle for decades. They suspect that he must take on the task of strategically leading the al Qaeda cells in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. But there are also doubts as to whether he is up to these tasks. “Many insiders believe he has had an important operational role in the past, but that he is not fit for a leadership role,” said International Crisis Group expert Jerome Drevon. “His skills are more suited to planning armed operations than managing a large network.”

Al Qaeda officially without a leader since August

Al-Qaeda has been officially without a leader since al-Zawahiri was killed in a targeted US airstrike in Afghanistan last August. Al-Zawahiri took over in 2011 after longtime leader Osama bin Laden was killed by US special forces at his hideout in Pakistan. The terrorist network had declared itself responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Al-Adel’s alleged stay in Iran is just another example of Tehran’s widespread support for terrorism and destabilizing activities in the region and beyond, Price said.