Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: A United States intelligence official has said that the succession of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda leader, who was believed to have been killed in a US raid the previous year, remains unclear.
Ayman was killed in a US strike in Afghanistan, the biggest blow to the militant groups since its founder, Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.
US director Abizaid
Director Abizaid of the US National Counter-terrorism Center said in an event organized by the Washington Institute that a question for Al Qaeda that is not answered for itself is who follows (Zawahiri),” Christine, when asked about Al Qaeda’s “center of gravity” after Ayman al-Zawahiri death.
Ayman had been in hiding for years. Al Qaeda has not named the successor. Saif al-Adel, the mysterious, low-key former Egyptian special forces officer who is a high-ranking member of Al Qaeda, is seen by experts as the top contender. The United States of America is offering reward of up to $10 million for the information leading to his arrest.
Abizaid addressed the threat landscape in the United States and also said the country faced an “unpredictable” environment, adding that Americans must remain vigilant about overseas-based extremist organizations such as Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
She said that “The online environment is where most of the radicalization is occurring,”.
Lone actors remained a critical threat and horrible for the United States. Abizaid said they could be inspired by overseas extremist groups and driven by racially or ethnically motivated violent domestic extremism.
Her remarks echoed the recent Department of Homeland Security assessment, which said that in November, the U.S. threat environment could remain heightened in the coming months, with lone offenders or groups motivated by a range of ideologies posing a danger.
