Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri (1951-, a physician of Egyptian origin, is believed to be the deputy leader and principal operational planner of al-Qaeda. Born into a wealthy medical family, he trained as a pediatrician at al-Azhar University.
He displaced Abd al-Qadir bin ‘Abd al-‘Aziz as leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad; the two have accused one another of plagiarism.
While he is considered strategically and tactically skilled, his Islamist knowledge has been questioned. In 2001, he produced “Knights under the Prophet’s Banner,” extolling al-Qa’ida’s strategy, which derives from a number of Salafist writers, and (most notably those of Sayyid Qutb) gives his framework of his interpretation of jihad. [1]
Al-Zawhiri met Osama bin Laden through Abdullah Azzam, in Pakistan.
References
- ↑ Brian M. Drinkwine. (January 26, 2009), "The Serpent in Our Garden: Al-Qa'ida and the Long War", Carlisle Papers, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, p. 7