The Egyptian who guards the elusive Osama bin Laden has taken over as al Qaeda’s military commander following capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of September 11, a terror expert said on Monday. Saif al-Adel, who is believed to have turned 40 last month, has a $25 million price on his head on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists. The United States had indicted him over the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Al Qaeda turned to al-Adel after Mohammed’s arrest in Pakistan in March removed the military commander whose careful years of planning resulted in the devastating September, 2001 strikes on New York and Washington, said Rohan Gunaratna, author of “Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror.” “They chose him because he is their most competent man and he fits into the typical al Qaeda, Islamic jihad mindset,” said Gunaratna, now based in Singapore. Al-Adel has shown ruthless efficiency in his role as chief of al Qaeda’s security and above all in protecting bin Laden, the world’s most wanted man, said Gunaratna. Full Story
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