Al Qaeda’s new leader ‘unknown’ to National Counterterrorism Center – Who is the most likely successor

Mystery surrounds the succession of the leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri, who was killed in an American raid last year, a top US intelligence official said today.

Zawahri – who took over the terror group after its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011 – was killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan on July 31.

“The question about her Al Qaedawhich has not been answered by her, is who succeeded him (Zawahri),” National Counterterrorism Center (NTCC) director Christine Abizaid said when asked about the new leadership of al-Qaeda after Zawahri’s death, during an event organized by the Washington Institute.

THE Saif Al Adel, a former Egyptian army Special Forces officer, is seen by experts as the front-runner to succeed Zawahri. The United States has issued a $10 million bounty on him.

Abizaid also addressed the level of threat to the US, stressing that Americans must remain vigilant when it comes to overseas jihadist organizations such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

The “lone wolves» remain the main threat to the US, argued the director of the NTCC, according to the Athens News Agency, echoing a recent assessment by the US Department of Homeland Security.