Osama bin Laden is dead. And with his killing it was believed that the tentacles of Al Qaeda, the organisation he helped build into one of the world's most dreaded terrorist organisations, will be cut to size. But not only has Al Qaeda named Zawahiri as Osama's successor, it has also vowed to avenge 'the Sheikh's' death. Al Qaeda, a deeply decentralised organisation with its presence in many regions including the Arabian peninsula and Yemen, has no clear command structure but here is a look at some of its most notorious leaders.
Osama bin Laden is dead. And with his killing it was believed that the tentacles of Al Qaeda, the organisation he helped build into one of the world's most dreaded terrorist organisations, will be cut to size. But not only has Al Qaeda named Ayman al-Zawahiri as Osama's successor, it has also vowed to avenge 'the Sheikh's' death.
Al Qaeda is a deeply decentralised organisation with its presence in many regions including the Arabian peninsula and Yemen. Here's a look at some of its most notorious leaders.
54-year-old Osama bin Laden emerged from relative obscurity as the most feared face of terrorism after Al Qaeda operatives launched a deadly attack on the World Trade Center in the US in 2001 that left 3000 dead and hundreds injured.
After a decade-long manhunt, Osama was killed on May 2 by a handful of brave men from the US Special Forces - the Navy SEALs. They came in choppers, armed with the latest ammunition, broke through the ceiling of Osama's palatial mansion in Abbottabad and shot dead the Al Qaeda chief. And all this in a span of just 40 minutes.
Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri
With Osama's death, the focus shifted on Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda's longtime No. 2. He was considered as the network's operational head who was heavily involved in developing the network's tactic of carrying out spectacular terrorist attacks on the West - 9/11 and 7/7. (AP Photo)
Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri
The FBI lists him as a man of unknown height, weight or built, with 13 known aliases and a bounty of 25 million dollars on his head.
59-year-old Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri, also known as The Doctor and the Teacher, is the new head of the deadly Al Qaeda.
One of his main aims - a call for Al Qaeda to take over a state. He wrote in his 2001 essay Knights Under The Prophet's Banner: 'If we do not achieve this goal, our actions will be nothing more than small scale harassment.'
The new Al Qaeda chief is seen as lacking Osama's charisma but is more cunning, brutal and ambitious. He is believed to be seized by the ambition of giving effect to a terror strike more deadly and more of a spectacle than 9/11 was. (AP Photo)
Saif al-Adel
59-year-old Saif al-Adel, one of the senior commanders, is a former Egyptian Special Forces officer and is suspected of involvement in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. He went on to become Osama bin Laden's Chief of Staff. (AFP Photo)
Saif al-Adel
Although an ally of new boss Ayman Zawahiri, he has some major differences of opinion. In particular, he opposed the 9/11 attacks because he thought they would provoke too big a response from the US. (AFP Photo)
Anwar Al-Awlaki
40-year-old Anwar Al-Awlaki is a US-born Yemeni who once taught at an American university.
He is seen as Al Qaeda's most most prolific planner of atrocities as well as being credited with an unrivalled talent for recruiting and training.
He once even had a Facebook page. Among his students was the Christmas Day bomber. (AFP Photo)
Naser Al-Wahayshi
Naser Al-Wahayshi is the leader of the terror group's most dynamic franchise, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He was bin Laden's private secretary in Afghanistan.
Abu Yahya al-Libi
48-year-old Abu Yahya al-Libi, a charismatic senior member from Libya, is one of Al Qaeda's top recruiters. He is one of several high profile US captives who escaped from Bagram airbase in Afghanistan in 2005. (AFP Photo)
Ilyas Kashmiri
47-year-old Ilyas Kashmiri is probably Al Qaeda's most notorious military commander.
The former Pakistan commando has been linked to multiple terror plots including the 26/11.
He is also seen as someone who has fresh ideas and could help relaunch the group using new tactics. (AFP Photo)
