He was one of the masterminds behind the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed more than 200 people. Saif al-Adel, about 60, is also associated with the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, in which 18 US soldiers were killed in an armed conflict with Somali militias. According to terror experts, the Egyptian could become the new Al-Qaeda boss. Like Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was killed in Kabul this weekend, Al-Adel is one of the founding members of the terrorist organization.
Its code name means “Sword of Justice”. But his specialty is explosives. During his service in the Egyptian army, he was an explosives expert. When he joined Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization in the 1990s fighting the Soviet occupiers in Afghanistan, he quickly rose through the ranks and later trained fighters for various terrorist cells.
The Egyptian has been on the FBI’s wanted list since 2001. A $10 million bounty has been placed on his head. Experts at the Middle East Institute in Washington DC believe it is possible that Al-Adel will succeed Al-Zawahiri. However, they also point out that there is also great resistance within the terrorist organization against a man giving orders from Iran.
house arrest in Iran
It is not entirely clear where the “Sword of Justice”, whose real name is Mohammed Salah al-Din Zaidan, is actually located. There are many indications that he is still living where he was under house arrest for years, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
In a recent analysis, terrorism researcher Charles Lister points out that in the past “at least three regional branches of al-Qaeda” have expressed doubts about Zaidan’s credibility. According to the American expert, with him at the helm, the fragmentation of the once strong organization could continue.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
