How ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the world’s most powerful jihadist leader
“For all his power and newfound notoriety, there are only two authenticated photos of a man now called the world’s ‘most powerful jihadi leader.’ One shows a serious man with an olive complexion and round countenance. The other, released by the Iraqi government in January, depicts an unsmiling bearded figure in a black suit. The image is cracked and blurry, as though someone had taken a picture of a picture.”