Osama bin Laden killed: remaining al-Qaeda leaders
Now that Osama bin Laden has been killed, al-Qaeda will need a new head. Here are some of the contenders:
Ayman al-Zawahiri was bin Laden's deputy Photo: AP
AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI Ayman al-Zawahiri, a 59-year-old Egyptian, was named by the US in April 2009 as al-Qaeda's chief commander, its operational and strategic leader, with Osama Bin Laden stepping back to be the organisation's ideological figurehead.
Al-Zawahiri is reportedly a qualified surgeon and the grandson of the imam of one of Egypt's most important mosques. But he has devoted his life to Islamic theology, history, and jihad. Osama Bin Laden's chosen biographer has referred to him as the "real brains" of al-Qaeda.
He is thought to be hiding along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
SAIF AL-ADEL Saif al-Adel, either 51 or 54, is the alias of a senior Egyptian leader of al-Qaeda and a member of its military committee. He is thought to have established the al-Qaeda training facility at Ras Kamboni in Somalia and may have trained Somalis who took part in the first battle of Mogadishu against US forces which saw two Black Hawk helicopters shot down by rocket-propelled grenades.
He has been on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists since 2001 and there is a $5 million reward for information on his whereabouts. He is thought to be in Iran.
SULAIMAN ABU GAITH Sulaiman Abu Gaith, 45, is a Kuwaiti regarded as one of al-Qaeda's senior leaders and an official spokesmen. Abu Gaith rose to prominence during the 1991 Gulf war, during which he first denounced Saddam Hussein and then turned his attention towards the Kuwaiti government and royal family, demanding the institution of Sharia law. He was quickly banned from giving sermons and removed from his mosque. In 2000 he left Kuwait for Afghanistan where he met Osama bin Laden and joined al-Qaeda. After the September 11 attacks, he promised that the "storm of planes will not stop".
His current whereabouts are unknown. It was rumoured that he had been imprisoned in Iran, but late last year Kuwaiti officials suggested he may have been freed to return to Afghanistan.
ABU HAFIZA Abu Hafiza is a Moroccan military psychiatrist and thought to be a strategist for al-Qaeda.
According to Debka.com, an Israeli intelligence website, he helped to plan the March 2004 attacks on Madrid. He has also claimed that Iraq will be a prime battleground for the organisation.
FAZUL ABDULLAH MOHAMMED Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, 36, is a suspected member of al-Qaeda and sometimes reported to be the leader of the organisation in East Africa. He is wanted by the US for his alleged role in the 1998 US Embassy bombings and was in Somalia during the first battle of Mogadishu. He was again thought to be in Somalia during fighting in 2007 and has been reported to be killed by a US airstrike. However, Somalian websites reported in 2009 that he had been appointed the head of al-Qaeda in East Africa.