Al-Qaida terror warning as new chief steps into bin Laden void

Egyptian-born doctor Ayman al-Zawahri was heavily involved in developing the tactic of high- profile attacks on the West like the 9/11 and 7/7 atrocities.

Confirmation that he has taken over the helm of al-Qaida after bin Laden was killed by United States special forces in May shows there will be no change in direction for the group, according to analysts.

Terrorism expert Professor Paul Wilkinson said: “The threat continues under different management, but still with the same ideology and objectives.

“That means that the international community has to maintain its vigilance, keep its counter-terrorism capabilities and improve its international co-operation.”

He added that people in the West would be “foolish” to think that the threat posed by al-Qaida had reduced because of bin Laden’s death and the popular uprisings of the Arab Spring.

Al-Zawahri cut his teeth as a jihadist organising militant activities against the Egyptian government, and was jailed for three years on charges linked to the 1981 assassination of president Anwar Sadat.

After his release in 1984, he travelled to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and became bin Laden’s right-hand man. He is now thought to be living between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Al-Zawahri’s close involvement in Islamist terrorist attacks in the West was demonstrated when he appeared in a film released to mark the first anniversary of the July 7 2005 suicide attacks on London, which featured bomber Shehzad Tanweer’s martyr video.

He claimed that Tanweer and ringleader Mohammed Sidique Khan trained at an al-Qaida camp before the atrocities.

Prof Wilkinson, emeritus professor of international relations at St Andrews University, said al-Zawahri was “a passionate believer in the global jihad and a passionate believer in terrorism”.

“There will be no change in direction. The idea that they would somehow change their ideology is wishful thinking,” he said.

“They are full of hatred for democracy, for the United States and all the European democracies. They are committed to waging jihad against not only the infidels but also Muslims in countries dealing with the West.”

Al-Zawahri became the face of al-Qaida when bin Laden went into hiding after the September 11 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, repeatedly denouncing the US and its allies in video messages.

He released a filmed eulogy to bin Laden earlier this month in which he warned that America still faced an international community of Muslims seeking to destroy it and its allies.

But General David Petraeus, the US military commander in Afghanistan, said last month that al-Zawahri was “no Osama bin Laden” and suggested that the terror network might fall apart without its former leader’s personality and charisma.

Prof Wilkinson said: “I think General Petraeus is absolutely right. You only have to see Zawahri on his video messages to see that he is a more theoretical, strategic person.

“He has certainly been very influential on the strategy and tactics of al- Qaida.

“But he doesn’t have the same effect on the Arab audience as bin Laden had. He is in a way the logical successor, but a very different kind of leader.”

There was speculation that there could be a power struggle within al-Qaida after bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seals in Pakistan on May 2.

Noman Benotman, from UK-based counter-extremism think-tank Quilliam, is a former jihadist who was an associate of al-Zawahri in the 1990s.

He said: “It is surprising that al-Qaida took such a long time to announce Zawahri as the group’s new leader.

“This is a sign that there may have been disputes and conflicts within al-Qaida, including over his leadership, that Zawahri needed to resolve before formally taking over.”