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The Status of al-Qaida Leaders
VOA News May 02, 2011

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KILLED:

Osama bin Laden, Saudi. Al-Qaida founder. Killed by U.S. forces in a raid on a compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.

Abu Laith al-Libi, Libyan. Al-Qaida operative. Killed in a U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan on January 29, 2008.

Omar al-Farouq, Kuwaiti. Al-Qaida operations chief for Southeast Asia. Killed by British troops in Basra, Iraq on September 25, 2006 after he escaped from a maximum security prison in Afghanistan in 2005.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Jordanian. Al-Qaida in Iraq leader. Killed in a U.S. air strike north of Baghdad on June 7, 2006.

CAPTURED:

Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Yemeni. 9/11 planner. Captured in Pakistan on September 11, 2002. Held at U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abu Faraj al-Libbi, Libyan. Senior al-Qaida operative. Captured near the northwestern Pakistani city of Mardan on May 4, 2005. Suspected of involvement in assassination attempts on Pakistan's then-military president General Pervez Musharraf. Held at U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Kuwaiti. Suspected 9/11 mastermind. Captured by Pakistani and U.S. operatives in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on March 1, 2003. Held at U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Saudi. Al-Qaida operations chief in the Gulf region. Captured in the United Arab Emirates in October 2002. Suspected of planning the October 12, 2000 bombing of the USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors off the coast of Yemen. Held at U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Abu Zubaydah, Palestinian. One of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants. Captured in Pakistan on March 28, 2002. Held at U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

AT LARGE:

Ayman al-Zawahiri, Egyptian. Age - 59. Bin Laden's deputy. Suspected of playing a major role in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Went into hiding with bin Laden when U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan weeks later, ousting the country's Taliban militant rulers, who had sheltered the terror network. Survived a U.S. air strike that targeted him in a Pakistani tribal region in January 2006 and remains at large. FBI has a $25 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, Egyptian. Age - late 40s. Wanted by the FBI for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. U.S. investigators say he fled Nairobi, Kenya in August 1998 and went to Karachi, Pakistan. FBI has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Saif al-Adel, Egyptian. Age about 50. Suspected high-ranking al-Qaida member wanted by the FBI in connection with 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. FBI has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Anwar al-Awlaki, US/Yemeni citizen. 40 years old. Radical Islamic preacher. Suspected leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Accused of inspiring a series of attacks on the United States in recent years. Identified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a "Specially Designated National" whose U.S. assets are blocked. Not on the FBI's most wanted terrorist list.

Adam Yahiye Gadahn. American convert to Islam. Age 32. Known as al-Qaida's "American spokesman." Charged in a U.S. court with treason and providing material support to al-Qaida. FBI has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Kuwaiti. Al-Qaida spokesman and radical preacher. Stripped of Kuwaiti citizenship in 2001 for alleged involvement in 9/11. Fled to Iran, where the government said it detained him in 2003. Kuwaiti media said Iran allowed him to leave the country in 2010.

Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie, Saudi. Age 45. Suspected member of Saudi Hizballah terrorist group. Charged in a U.S. court with involvement in the June 25, 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers military housing complex in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. personnel.

Anas al-Liby (also known as Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Raghie), Libyan. Age late 40s. Charged in a U.S. court with involvement in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. FBI has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Comoros Islands national. Age late 30s. Al-Qaida leader in East Africa suspected of links to Somali Islamists. Wanted by the FBI in connection with the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. FBI has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso, Yemeni. Age 36. Charged in a U.S. court with involvement in the October 12, 2000, bombing of the USS Cole that killed 17 U.S. sailors off the coast of Yemen. FBI has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/The-Status-of-al-Qaida-Leaders-121117689.html

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Potential al-Qaida leaders after Osama bin Laden's death .. 8 slides ..



# 1 - Ayman al Zawahiri .. AP Photo/IntelCenter

Ayman al-Zawahiri serves as al-Qaida's chief commander. He led the organization while Osama bin-Laden remained in hiding. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted terrorist list, Zawahiri is an Egyptian physician who founded the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which seeks to overthrow the Egyptian Government by violent means. The EIJ eventually merged with al-Qaeda. He considered a contender for the position as the new leader of al-Qaida.



# 2 - Saif al-Adel .. Image released by the FBI

Saif al-Adel succeeded Mohamed Atef as al-Qaida's chief military strategist, making him one of al-Qaida's top operatives. Saif al-Din is also thought to be associated with the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). He allegedly wanted to fly a plane into the Egyptian Parliament. He provided military training to al-Qaeda in various countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan. He also trained anti-UN Somali tribes and established an al-Qaida training facility in Ras Kamboni, Somalia.



# 3 - Abu Yahya al-Libi .. Associated Press

Abu Yahya al-Libi is not only a high-ranking member of al-Qaida, but is also believed to be a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Al-Libi escaped from an American prison in Afghanistan, and his fame amongst jihadists has been increasing since. It was thought that al-Libi was killed by a U.S. Drone strike in Pakistan in 2009, but the body was later identified as someone else.

As a cleric, he is considered to be "the scholar" of al-Qaida and takes on the role
of preacher. Al-Libi has released a number of video sermons in an attempt to recruit.



# 4 - Sulaiman Abu Ghaith .. AP Photo/Al Jazeera

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is the official spokesman for al-Qaida. No one knows where he is currently. He was allegedly imprisoned in Iran, but Kuwaiti officials speculate that he was released to return to Afghanistan. After being banned from giving sermons at a mosque in Kuwait, he became a high school religion teacher. He left Kuwait for Afghanistan where he met Osama bin-Laden and joined al-Qaida in 2000.

In the photo: (From left) Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Muhammad Atef

# 5 - Mahfouz Ould al-Walid .. no image available

Though the United States government has reported his death twice, al-Walid, a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, is thought
to be alive and possibly in Iran. He is said to be one of bin-Laden's top aides and has been sought out since the Sept. 11 attacks.

# 6 - Ahmad Mohammad ali al-hada .. no image available

Ahmad Mohammad ali al-Hada is the head of a large family whose members were involved
in the Sept. 11 attacks. He has been described as "a prominent al-Qaida member."

# 7 - Abu Ubeid al-Qurashi .. no image available

According to an MSNBC.com report on terrorism in 2008, al-Qurashi was an aide to
bin-Laden and sees himself as an al-Qaida intellectual, propagandist and writer.



# 8 - Fazul Abdullah Mohammed .. AP Photos/Files

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is said to be the head of al-Qaeda in East Africa.
Mohammed is wanted in connection with a bombing of a US Embassy in 1998.
http://www.deseretnews.com/top/150/1369/Potential-al-Qaida-leaders-after-Osama-bin-Ladens-death-Fazul-Abdullah-Mohammed.html