Ayman al-Zawahiri: did he plot Bin Laden’s death?

[tekisui]

Source: First Post

Just days before his 60th birthday, the Egyptian cleric Ayman al-Zawahiri has been given cause to start the celebrations early: he has been named as Osama bin Laden's successor to lead the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda.

However, the news will come as no surprise to those already in his inner circle, who are rumoured to have been behind Bin Laden's death last month when he was killed by a team of US Navy Seals in Pakistan.

According to the Saudi newspaper al-Watan, Egyptian branches of al-Qaeda have wanted to unseat Bin Laden, a Saudi, ever since he became ill in 2004.

It was Zawahiri, the paper claims, who convinced Bin Laden to move from his Taliban hideout in the impenetrable mountain region of Waziristan to the relatively exposed city of Abbottabad, just 50km from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Read more: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/80449,news-comment,news-politics,ayman-al-zawahiri-did-he-plot-bin-ladens-death#ixzz1PSBL3yVx

[brooklynite]

1. I guess it saves on retirement...those pension plans are going through the roof

[cbdo2007]

2. If so, then I'm sure his second in command is planning his death also.

hahaha

Good, let them keep killing themselves off.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Unlikely

al-Zawahiri is the one with the brains and bin Laden was the iconic figurehead with the money.

Why kill the money supply ?

I would imagine that al-qaeda in general treat such articles as we would comics.

[tekisui]

4. Honestly, I don't see why he would want to be the new #1 target.

NOt that he isn't one already.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Apparently

"leader" is a meaningless term within al qaeda.

It serves only to provide whoever outside of al qaeda with an obligatory boogie man. Its just that somehow or other a name like Doris Smith wouldn't have sounded right.