Outside the Beltway

OBL’s Last Message

Steven L. Taylor · Thursday, May 19, 2011 · No comments

Via the BBC:  Osama Bin Laden: Al-Qaeda releases posthumous message

Plus some speculation on Osama’s replacement:

Speculation is mounting that al-Qaeda has appointed a former Egyptian army colonel, Saif al-Adel, as temporary leader to replace Bin Laden.

Adel was once Bin Laden’s security chief, and is suspected of involvement in the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa, training the Somali fighters who killed 18 US servicemen in Mogadishu in 1993, and instructing some of the 11 September 2001 hijackers.

He fled to Iran from Afghanistan after the US-led invasion in 2001, and was reportedly held under house arrest near Tehran. Reports at the end of last year said he may have been released and made his way to northern Pakistan.

Some Western analysts have expressed scepticism over reports of his appointment. Bin Laden’s long-time deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, also Egyptian, is thought to be the front-runner for the role.