Reports Surfaced of Bin Laden Successor

Slate Magazine reports:

Independent but unconfirmed reports suggest that al-Qaida has selected an interim chief to lead the militant organization while the group decides on a long-term replacement for Osama Bin Laden.

That man: Saif al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces officer and jihad veteran.

The news comes as somewhat of a surprise given most observers had expected Bin Laden to be replaced by his longtime deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Still, al-Adel’s terrorism resume isn’t exactly lacking. He is a longtime senior member of al-Qaida who is suspected of playing a key role in a number of terrorist acts, including the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. Like al-Zawahiri, he is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. (Although the reward for al-Adel’s capture is a fifth of the $25 million being offered for Zawahiri.)

News of al-Adel’s new role as interim chief was first reported on Tuesday by Pakistan’s The News, which cited unnamed sources who were said to be in attendance at a recent al-Qaida meeting where the decision was made.