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• Al-Qaida Chooses Al-Zawahri As Bin Laden's Successor

CAIRO - Osama bin Laden's longtime second-in-command, Ayman al- Zawahri, has taken control of al-Qaida, the group declared Thursday, marking the ascendancy of a man driven by hatred of the United States who helped plan the 9/11 attacks. Al-Zawahri is considered the organizational brain of the terror group, highly skilled at planning and logistics. Analysts said he could set his sights on a spectacular attack and on building up al- Qaida's already robust presence in Yemen to establish his leadership credentials.

• Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)
• June 17, 2011

• ; No. 2 Zawahri Not Guaranteed Top Job

S. intelligence agencies are investigating whether al Qaeda's leadership council has convened to choose the group's next leader following the death of Osama bin Laden. Government experts say that al Qaeda bylaws specify that bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al Zawahri, automatically becomes the interim leader. But there are no guarantees that other members of the organization will accept him.

• The Washington Times
• May 11, 2011

• ; Zawahri Tries to Follow in Bin Laden's Bloody Footsteps

After weeks of waiting and speculation, Ayman al Zawahri has officially taken over the leadership of al Qaeda. Whether the new chairman of terror will be able to resurrect the organization after the death of its charismatic, visionary leader - or simply watch as internal and external forces tear it apart - remains to be seen. Zawahri certainly has the bona-fides to lead the group. He has been an al Qaeda activist since the mid-1980s and is a veteran of the Mujahedeen war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, which gives him a great deal of legitimacy in jihadist circles. He has long been the group's ideological leader even though he doesn't have a theology background. He was one of the key planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Having been at Osama bin Laden's side through times of...

• The Washington Times
• June 17, 2011

• Al-Zawahri Takes Over As New Leader of Al-Qaida

By Hamza Hendawi The Associated Press

• The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, Norfolk, VA
• June 17, 2011

• Bin Laden, Al-Zawahri Hioding Apart: ; Caution, Not Rift, Separation's Aim, Officials Believe

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden is hiding in a remote tribal area along Afghanistan's 1,500-mile border with Pakistan, separated from his top deputy and, in a sign he has to be careful about whom he trusts, surrounded by fellow Arabs. His No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, is hiding in a more settled area along the border, surrounded by al-Qaida operatives of his Egyptian nationality, according to U.S. intelligence officials familiar with his pursuit.

• Charleston Gazette
• April 25, 2006

• Al-Zawahri Condemns Summit ; Arabs 'Traitors' for Attending

Osama bin Laden's second in command denounced last month's Middle East peace talks hosted by the U.S., calling those who participated "traitors" and asking all Muslims to unite, in an Web video released yesterday on an Islamic militant site. The czar of Washington invited 16 Arab countries ... to sit in one room, at the table with the Israelis," said al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri, whose voice is thought to be on the 20- minute posting

• The Washington Times
• December 15, 2007

• Al-Zawahri Says U.S. Negotiations Off-Base

CAIRO, Egypt -- The deputy leader of al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahri, told the United States it is negotiating with the wrong people in Iraq, suggesting in a video released Wednesday that his terror group was the real power broker in the country. The terrorist chief warned that al-Qaida would keep fighting U.S. troops in the Muslim world and target Western nations in retaliation. But he also criticized rival Islamic militant groups, such as the Palestinian Hamas, for being too soft in waging "jihad" or holy war.

• The Columbian
• December 22, 2006

• Al-Zawahri Threatens U.S., Allies in Tape

Al Qaeda is planning to target the United States and Western nations that "participated in the crusader campaign against the lands of Islam," the organization's deputy chief said in an audiotape posted on the Internet yesterday. Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's No. 2 man, made the statement as he answered an onslaught of questions asked by followers, reporters and others since his last video was released on April 2. The posting bore the logo of as-Sahab, al Qaeda's official media arm.

• The Washington Times
• April 23, 2008

• Al-Zawahri Tape Praising Martyrs May Not Be New

CAIRO, Egypt -- An audiotape from al-Qaida's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, was posted Friday on an Islamic Web site, but U.S. officials said the recording does not appear to have been made recently and may even date back years. In the audiotape, al-Zawahri read a poem praising "martyrs of holy war" in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

• Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
• January 21, 2006

• U.S. Strike Missed Al-Qaida Official ; Al-Zawahri Skipped Event, Pakistanis Say

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader was invited to a dinner marking a Muslim festival in a Pakistani border village on the night of the devastating U.S. missile strike there, but he failed to show up, Pakistani intelligence officials said Sunday. Ayman al-Zawahri sent aides instead, the officials said, and investigators are trying to establish if any of them were among the at least 17 people killed in the attack, which sparked a second day of anti-U.S. protests across the country Sunday.

• The Record, Bergen County, NJ
• January 16, 2006