He proudly endorsed Sadat’s assassination after the Egyptian leader made peace with Israel. “We are working with brother bin Laden,” he said in announcing the merger of his terror group in May 1998. Before and after the September 11 attacks, Zawahiri appeared on numerous video and audiotapes calling for attacks against Western targets and urging Muslims to support his cause. Zawahiri became al Qaeda’s leader after US forces killed bin Laden in 2011. Zawahiri “was not a charismatic leader in the mold of bin Laden,” CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen said Monday.

Source: Egypt Independent August 02, 2022 17:39 UTC