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The Dark Odyssey of Al-Qaeda's Mastermind: Aiman Al-Zawari | The MurderousMinds Podcast

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Can you imagine being a fly on the wall as one of the world's most notorious terrorists plots his next move? Here look at the life of Aiman Al-Zawari, the mastermind behind Al-Qaeda, and take you through his transition from a studious boy with a knack for languages to a feared extremist. Born into a politically influential family, Al-Zawari's life took a radical turn as his upbringing, unwavering beliefs, and relentless determination propelled him to the helm of one of the most infamous terrorist organizations.

Ever wondered how Al-Zawari orchestrated his reign of terror? Let's peel back the curtain on this dark chapter of history. We discuss his undying loyalty to the Muslim community and his disturbingly regressive views on the role of women. We reveal the events that fueled his radicalization - the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadid, his arrest for his association with Al-Jihad, and the fateful meeting with Osama Bin Laden that led to his control of Al-Jihad. Brace yourself as we break down the aftermath of the 1995 bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan and its far-reaching implications.

Finally, we examine Al-Zawari's life post 9/11, his eventual death in a drone strike, and the power vacuum his loss created within Al-Qaeda. We delve into the steadily declining support for Al-Qaeda’s extremist ideals and their struggle to regain footing. As we sign off, we leave you pondering on the future of this notorious organization post-Zawari's reign. Tune in for a gripping exploration of a man who, driven by his beliefs, etched his name in the annals of global terrorism.

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Thank you for tuning in to MurderousMinds, the chilling true crime podcast that delves deep into the darkest minds. Join us as we explore the captivating stories of notorious killers, analyze their motives, and unravel the mysteries behind their heinous acts. Stay connected with us on Patreon for updates, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes insights. Remember, listener discretion is advised.

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Welcome to Murderous Minds, a documentary series started by the Top 5's YouTube channel back in 2018, dedicated to exploring the twisted minds of serial killers. The following podcast episode is the audio version of our video series over on the Top 5's Patreon page. If you would like to watch the video instead of just listening, and would also like to support our show, then please head on over to Patreon using the link in the show notes. Thank you for joining, and now let's take a journey into the minds of murderers.

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Many of us know the names Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, but the name Aiman Al-Zawari might not ring so many bells. Officially recognised first as the group's chief commander and later as its leader, al Zawari has been dubbed the backbone of Al Qaeda's leadership, recognised for his patient and pragmatic handling of operations, but also his extreme and violent devotion to his beliefs. But just who was Aiman Al-Zawari and what were his motivations as he led one of the most infamous terrorist organisations in the world? Join us as we attempt to answer these questions and more, while delving into the life and crimes of Aiman Al-Zawari, the mastermind of Al Qaeda. Now, before we begin, we'd like to make a disclaimer about conspiracy theories. As many of you will know, we're incredibly interested in conspiracies, especially conspiracies surrounding the 9-11 terrorist attacks. However, in this video we will be following the official narrative, so we will not be delving into any conspiracies or alternative theories surrounding Al Qaeda, the war in Afghanistan or 9-11. We are not saying we agree or disagree with the official narrative but for the purpose of this episode, we will be following it.

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Early Life Aiman Muhammad Rabbi Al-Zawari was born on June 19th 1951, in Giza, egypt, although it was known back then as the Kingdom of Egypt. He was one of five children. Al-zawari's parents, dr Rabbi Al-Zawari and Umaymar Azam, both, according to the New York Times, came from influential families, though they were never wealthy. Despite their prominence and success, his family felt there was great importance in politics and religion and frequently stressed this to Al-Zawari. Journalist Samir Rafat noted that the Zawaris never joined the Madi Sporting Club, which was seen as a major defining social standard in Madi in the 50s and 60s, because they didn't join and mingle with other members. They were always on the outside. Rafat added the Zawaris were a conservative family. You would never see them in the club holding hands, playing bridge. We usually call them saddies. Literally, the word refers to someone from a district in Upper Egypt, but we use it to mean something like Hick. Still, the New Yorker noted that Umaymar never wore a veil and that the family were not overly pious.

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Al-zawari's father's family was brimming with success, career-driven individuals, from doctors and surgeons to scholars and academics. In a 1995 obituary for a relative it is stated that at 31, 46 mentioned family members were doctors, chemists or pharmacists. Others had job titles, including Ambassador, judge and Member of Parliament. Rabi himself was a pharmacology professor at Cairo University. Similarly, al-zawari's mother's family members were deeply entrenched in the political sphere, though her father took on many roles. He was a literary scholar who served as the President of Cairo University, the founder of King Saud University and at various times as an Egyptian ambassador to Pakistan, yemen and Saudi Arabia. Other family members on her side included a great uncle who was the founding Secretary-General of the Organization the Arab League, which seeks to rebuild relationships between member states and coordinate collaborations between them, a relative who acted as the Secretary-General of the Islamic Council of Europe and an aunt who married into the family of the late King Fasail.

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But unlike many of the figures we look at during these documentaries, al-zawari, as an adult, expressed a great fondness for his mother and had a stable childhood where he received everything he needed and more. As a young boy, he was known to be serious and studious, and he excelled academically. He labelled contact sports inhumane and refused to partake in them, though he adored poetry and had a knack for learning languages, becoming fluent in English and French for the young adult. During his teen years, al-zawari attended the State Secondary School, described as a modest building but labelled as a hoodlum school as the educational standards were far below those of Victoria College, a private prep school erected by the British. The college was very westernised and often instructions were given in English. By comparison, the State School reportedly gave a very limited view of the world. Al-zawari was known to daydream in class and was described by old classmates as closed and introverted, but extremely intelligent. A cousin recalled that he was perfect in everything, even as a young boy. Al-zawari was deeply religious and although he would laugh a lot at home, he remained isolated in school by his own volition. His old classmates remembered how he would often walk away as the other boys played rough and that it felt as if mingling with other boys would get him too distracted.

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Alzawari appeared to have found his path in life at a very young age, although it's unclear if he chose it himself or if an element of expectations played into the decision. He studied medicine at Cairo University, graduating in 1974 and obtaining a master's degree in surgery in 1978, or also serving as a surgeon in the Egyptian army. His twin sister, heba, also became a doctor. Shortly after his time in the military, alzawari established a medicinal clinic in the district of Madi in the southern eastern area of Cairo, where he grew up. In the early 1980s, he traveled to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where he worked treating refugees and practiced medicine in the city of Jeddah.

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During his lifetime, alzawari was married at least four times. In 1978, he married his first wife, azar Ahmed Nawari, a fellow Cairo university student who was studying philosophy. Both of her parents were lawyers, and in another life she may have been a socialite who enjoyed partying and indulgence. Instead, though, she was extremely religious and adopted the hijab, which had become a badge of conservatism among Muslim women, according to writer Lawrence Wright. Reportedly, her newfound religion and their decision to veil herself came as a shock to her family, who felt her actions were a rejection of her class. The couple's equally conservative wedding was held at the Continental Savoy Hotel and had no music, photography or frivolity. Women and men were separated during the event. All of the modesty and the lack of fun were at the bride's request. During the couple's marriage, they had five children, the oldest of which was born in 1981 or the youngest was born in 1997.

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The couple's only son, muhammad, was the twin sibling of their daughter Kadiga, and described as a delicate, well-mannered boy who didn't fit in with the cultural gender norms in which he was raised. He preferred to stay at home and help his mother and spend time with his father and other traditionally masculine influences. In 2004, it was learned that one of the Al-Zawari's daughters married Abu Turab al-Odani, one of the men who helped orchestrate the September 11th plot. Another daughter reportedly married Hamza bin Laden, a relative of O'Osamas, which linked the two families in a strategic marriage alliance. In late December 2001, in response to the September 11th attack, the US carried out an airstrike on Afghanistan. During this assault, al-zawari's wife, azar, and two of their children, asha and Muhammad, were killed. Azar survived the initial bombardment as she was pinned beneath the debris but reportedly refused to be excavated because men would see her face, and she died from her injuries. Muhammad was killed instantly, but Asha survived for a short time afterwards succumbing to exposure while rescuers tried to save her mother.

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Al-zawari's views and beliefs. During his time as a student, al-zawari became a keen participant in activism, influenced by his maternal uncle, mahfuz Azam, who he considered a great role model, al-zawari became heavily invested in both religion and politics. Mahfuz told the New Yorker of his own antics during his youth, recalling that he was imprisoned at the age of 15 and was an enthusiastic Egyptian nationalist at the time. Al-zawari also became engrossed in the preachings of Sayyed Qutb al-Qutb al, an Egyptian educator, author and Islamic scholar, who was convicted in 1966 of plotting the assassination of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nazar and was executed as a result.

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Sayyed was greatly critical of Western society, particularly after he visited the US. He believed the US was made up of materialism, individual freedoms, superficiality and an animal-like mixing of men and women. He particularly disliked the sexuality of American women, the US's primitive artistic taste, and that Americans were numb to faith in religion. He felt that America was unlike the one displayed on the big screen or found in books writing. It is astonishing to realize, despite his advanced education and his perfectionism, how primitive the American really is in his views on life. His behavior reminds us of the era of the caveman. He is primitive in the way he lusts after power, ignoring ideals and manners and principles. He even complained about the way American barbers cut his hair.

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Sayyed was reportedly somewhat secular in his early teachings, but turned away from this during the 1950s, returning from his trip to the States as a different man. There is speculation that he changed his stance after witnessing the torture and slaying of Muslim Brotherhood members while in prison between 1954 and 1964, with the theory being that he believed an Islamic government would prevent such atrocities. He later denounced secularism, calling it an oppressive system and recreating himself as a militant Muslim. Sayyed was not the first Egyptian to be outraged by the treatment his fellow Islamists received while in prison, and much of his anger was directed not just at the Egyptian government but at the West, which was seemed to be an enabling force behind the regime and blamed for corrupting Islamic society. Lawrence Wright wrote for the New Yorker Egypt's prisons became a factory for producing militants whose need for retribution they called it justice was all-consuming. Followers see Sayyed even today as a martyr for Islam and a great thinker, though others, including Westerners, believe him to be the architect of Islamist ideology and an inspiration for violent extremist groups like Al Qaeda.

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At the age of 15, al-zawari had created an underground cell whose main goal was to overthrow secular Arab governments and replace them with authorities who governed by Islamic law. In the 1960s and 70s, many Arabs were struggling in the aftermath of the 1967 setback or the 60-day war, which saw Israel and a coalition of several Arab states, including Egypt, fighting after relations broke down. The relationships between the countries had already been crumbling since 1949 and had heightened considerably in 1956 when Israel invaded Egypt after Egypt closed maritime passageways to Israel. Many Arabs at this time felt God had abandoned them and subsequently drew the conclusion that it was a result of their leaders and societies turning away from Islam. For many, including Al-Zawari, it made sense to get rid of secularism and return to religion. The cell began with five members, but had grown to 40 by 1974. Al-zawari was known to keep his part in the cell from everybody, including his wife and his parents. Just one year after Al-Zawari established his cell, syed was executed. This led to his resolve strengthening and he established that his mission in life was to put Syed's vision into action. His cell would later merge with others to form Al-Jihad, or the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which would become an associate of Al-Qaeda. Al-zawari saw Islamism in Egypt as a groundbreaking movement which would see brave warriors rewarded and celebrated once they were victorious, though this day never came, as the movement was generally considered a failure, particularly once Egyptian government cracked down on fringe terrorist groups following the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat. It was during the 1980s that Al-Zawari joined Al-Qaeda.

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Though Al-Zawari had previously been more interested in the overthrowing of secularism in his own country or fighting against Israel, al-qaeda was more preoccupied with what was going on in the West, particularly in America. Al-zawari was also a firm believer in loyalty. You often preach that Muslims should be loyal to one another and their religion, and often saw anything and anyone beyond Islam as a dangerous threat that should be hated. During his time with Al-Qaeda, al-zawari also expressed his belief that women's roles should be limited to being homemakers and caring for children, rather than as combatants in groups like the one he was part of. This reportedly sparked some debate and confusion about women in such organisations as Al-Qaeda was alleged to have used women as fighters. Sajida Al-Rishwari was an attempted suicide bomber whose explosive belt failed to detonate in 2005,. During the Amman bombings in Jordan, al-qaeda claimed responsibility for the event and Al-Rishwari confessed on national television after she was apprehended by authorities in Jordan. She was executed in 2015.

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The 1980s On October 6th 1981, anwar Sadid, the 3rd president of Egypt, was assassinated during a Cairo victory parade celebrating Operation Badr, an Egyptian military operation that had taken place 8 years earlier, at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War, also known as the 4th Arab-Israeli War. Reportedly, sadid's popularity had been in decline for several years when many Arab nations found the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, signed by Sadid and Israeli PM Menachem Bekan, controversial, particularly for Palestinian rights, and noted that it undercut the unity of Arab states. The treaty called such an uproar that Egypt was suspended from the Arab League, which subsequently moved its HQ to Tunisia. Al-gihad, the group initially started by Al-Zawari when he was still a teenager, took great offense to the treaty and saw it as a betrayal. They began to publicly call for the overthrow of Sadid and noted their desire to see the government replaced with one based on Islamic theocracy. After a failed military coup in June 1981, before Sadid's death, he ordered a massive crackdown, which led to the arrest of several opposition figures, including numerous Jihad members, coptic clergymen, intellectuals and activists. 1,500 people were taken in and Al-Zawari was also apprehended on charges of weapons possession. He was subsequently tortured while imprisoned. During this time, he revealed the location of another Al-Jahadi leader. This betrayal reportedly haunted him for years following the incident and tarnished his image among his peers. He later wrote.

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Al-zawari was released from prison in 1984, which is when he fled to Saudi Arabia and then Pakistan, using his skills as a surgeon to help Afghans who were injured in the fight against the Soviets who'd first invaded the country in 1979. According to CNN, he met Osama bin Laden in 1987, though there had been various different dates mentioned pertaining to their first meeting. At the time of their initial contact, both men were educated, soft-spoken and felt politically oppressed by the governments of their own countries. Bin Laden was described as an idealist with vague political ideas, a man who had followers but no organisation skills, while Al-Zawari was an experienced campaigner whose followers had extraordinary capabilities doctors, engineers, soldiers. They had experience in secret work, they knew how to organise themselves and create cells, and they became the leaders by all accounts. They worked to perfectly complement one another's skills and their shared interest in Arab politics led to the formation of a strong and lasting bond the 1990s. It wasn't until the 1990s that Al-Zawari was able to take control of Al-Jihad when, in 1991, its previous leader was apprehended and sentenced to life in prison.

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Under Al-Zawari's control, al-jihad continued operations in Egypt, as did another terrorist group named the Islamic group In 1993. It is believed that Al-Zawari and his group's connection with Iran may have caused a suicide bomber to try to take the life of Egyptian Interior Minister Hassan Al-Alfi. Al-alfi was leading the charge against Islamist terrorism at the time. The assassination attempt failed. However, three months later the then PM, atif Sedki, was also subject to an execution attempt. During the bombings of his vehicle, 21 civilians were injured and a young girl was killed. As her coffin was carried through the streets of Cairo, crowds reportedly chanted terrorism is the enemy of God. The event led to the arrest of around 280 Al-Jihad members and the execution of six of those individuals.

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On the morning of November 19th 1995, two men approached the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, pakistan. After killing the establishment's security with guns and grenades, a small vehicle loaded with a 250 pound bomb rushed into the compound, blowing apart the outer gates. A second vehicle then approached, loaded with a larger bomb, and was detonated. The side of the building collapsed, damaging two nearby embassies and a bank at the same time, as well as the two men who had initiated the attack, three security guards, the second secretary and 12 others were killed as a result of the assault, with a further 60 individuals being wounded. The attack had been carried out by Al-Jihad, having been planned by Al-Zawari the previous year, and was reportedly in response to Pakistan's extradition of several of the group's members who had gone to face torture and sexual abuse while in prison in Egypt. Al-zawari had originally desired to target the American Embassy, but noted that it was too heavily secured. The assault was the group's first successor under Al-Zawari's leadership, but reportedly bin Laden did not approve of the operation, as it alienated Pakistan and the country was the best route into Afghanistan.

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Following the bombing, egyptian intelligence blackmailed two teen boys into planting listening devices in the home of prominent Al-Jihad members. They even instructed one of the boys to leave a suitcase full of explosives near Al-Zawari. Instead, the teenagers were arrested by the Sudanese authorities. Al-zawari persuaded officials to let him speak with them. He subsequently killed them before circulating a tape of their confessions, claiming that they had committed treason.

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In December of 1996, al-zawari was accompanied by two associates on a trip to Chechnya, russia, where they hoped to set up a base for Al-Jihad. Although each man was travelling under a different name and using a false passport, and although the group switched cars three times, they were arrested just hours after entering the country and spent five months in prison as they awaited trial. The three men pleaded innocence, maintaining their disguise, while other Al-Jihad members outside of Russia contacted authorities and pleaded for their merchant colleagues to be given leniency. An algae-had member named Thawat Salah Shahata was given permission to visit the three men, where, it's believed, he smuggled $3,000 to them. The money was later confiscated. Shahata also gave the men a letter, though the Russians did not bother to translate it. In April of 1997, the men were sentenced to six months behind bars, but released a month later and fled the country without paying their court-appointed lawyers' legal fees. Reportedly, there have been some suspicions cast upon this story, with scholars noting that it seemed unlikely that Russian authorities did not know who Al-Zawari was, given the country's extensively trained Arabists and the fact that the men had been carrying fake passports and encrypted documents. A former member of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the FSB, alleged that Al-Zawari had been trained by the FSB, although this has never been proven.

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In 1997, al-zawari helped orchestrate the Luxor Massacre carried out by another terrorist organisation, al-gama Al-Islamiyah. Al-gama Islamiyah had stagnated as a group and hoped that the government's subsequent actions in dealing with them would help strengthen support for anti-government forces. On the morning of November 17th, six gunmen armed with automatic weapons and knives took the lives of 58 tourists, including a 5-year-old child and four Japanese couples on the honeymoon, and four Egyptians and one of the country's biggest tourist attractions, deir al-Bari, a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the banks of the Nile opposite the city of Luxor. The men who carried out the attack were dressed as members of the security forces and had shortly beforehand taken out two armed guards at the site. The tourists killed had been trapped inside the temple and the assault lasted around 45 minutes. Afterwards, the bodies of the women were mutilated within the shettis, as was the corpse of an elderly Japanese man. Twenty-six people managed to survive. The attackers then attempted to flee from authorities but were stopped at a checkpoint by armed police and military forces. One of the terrorists was injured, while the others fled to the hills. They were later found in a cave, having committed suicide together.

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Though Al-Gamma Al-Islamia had sought to strengthen support for themselves, the massacre had the opposite effect. Public opinion overwhelmingly turned against Islamist terrorists and attacks from similar groups dropped markedly as a result of this backlash. Al-zawari, surprised by the response, would go on to blame Egyptian police for the attack and noted his belief that the tourists were responsible for their own deaths. As they come to Egypt, he stated that the people of Egypt consider the presence of these foreign tourists to be aggression against Muslims on Egypt, the young men are saying that this is our country, not a place for frolicking and enjoyment, especially for you. The organization would go on to deny responsibility for the massacre in 2017. On August 7th 1998, suicide bombers entered US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and detonated explosives, killing a total of 224 people. That same year, al-zawari was listed as under indictment in the US for his role in this operation.

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Meanwhile, al-gihad attempted to assassinate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak while he was in Ethiopia for a conference of the Organization of African Unity. Mubarak was against Islamic fundamentalism and was often diplomatic in his approach to the matter of Israel, and thus was a big target for Al-Gihad. Mubarak reportedly managed to survive six assassination attempts during his lifetime. Al-zawari soon became Al-Gihad's leading organizer and recruiter. He hoped that with enough time, they would be able to accumulate military officers and weapons which would allow them to overthrow the Egyptian government when an opportunity presented itself. Aboud Al-Zumar was the group's chief strategist. He was a colonel in the military whose plan for a takeover involved taking the lives of the country's most notable leaders before seizing the headquarters of the army and state security, the telephone exchange building and the TV and radio building. Using these to their advantage, they would broadcast propaganda and news of their revolution, which Al-Zumar and Al-Zawari felt would propel the uprising forward and cause other believers across the country to take action.

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Though these attacks were brutal, Al-Jihad soon began to lose steam. Throughout the later half of the 1990s, egyptian security services, which were backed by the US, took apart the group. They also fell out of popularity with their unbridled acts of violence, turning many away from the cause. The pressure Al-Jihad was under to not get caught led to many of its members fleeing the country and going into hiding, leaving Al-Zawari with a few scattered forces. Additionally, they had very little money to help fund their cause and in 1996, they had failed to establish a haven in Chechnya. In 1999, an Egyptian court sentenced Al-Zawari to death in absentee. In the following years, many of Al-Zawari's group rejected his leadership and the violence he incited. Furthermore, in 1999, al-zawari was put under international sanctions by the United Nations Al-Qaeda and Taliban sanctions committee as a member of the Al-Qaeda group.

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Al-qaeda and September 11th. On the morning of October 12, 2000, the USS Cole, a guided missile destroyer of the US Navy, docked at Yemen's Aiden Harbour for a routine fuel stop. Less than two hours later, a small fiberglass boat carrying C-4 explosives and two suicide bombers approached the ship and exploded. The attack killed 17 US Navy sailors and injured 37. It was the deadliest attack against a US naval vessel since 1987. After Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack, bin Laden and Al-Zawari fled to Kabul, while Bin Laden's military chief, mohammed Atef, escaped to Kandahar. According to reports by a former Al-Qaeda member, al-zawari had worked as part of the group since its inception. A senior member of Al-Qaeda's council, he was often called Bin Laden's lieutenant, with outsiders even viewing Al-Zawari as the real brains of the organization. In 2001, al-gihad was formally murdered, with Al-Qaeda and his official name being Qaeda Al-Gihad.

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On September 11th 2001, 19 radicals associated with Al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and implemented a series of suicide attacks against various prominent buildings in the United States. Two of the planes hit the Twin Towers, part of the World Trade Center in NYC, while a third hit the Pentagon in Arlington, virginia, and the fourth crashed into a field in Shanksville, pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 lives were lost during these terrorist attacks, which are often referred to as 9-11. This assault on the US led the government to set up initiatives designed to combat terrorism, with operation enduring freedom beginning on October 7th, which they hoped would end the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Bin Laden's extremist network. Al-qaeda did not appear to consider the repercussions of their actions, and it became obvious when they realized that they were now about to lose their place in Afghanistan, which is where they'd been plotting their movements prior to 9-11 while they lived among the Taliban. To make matters worse, the US began working with other law enforcement agencies and security services, which helped them to identify, observe and apprehend members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. One leading Jihad thinker, abu Musab al-Suri, noted that 9-11 had cast Jihad into a fiery furnace, a hellfire that consumed most of their leaders, fighters and bases.

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Al-zawari is not believed to have played a major role in September 11th attacks. By all accounts, bin Laden was responsible for making the key decisions, while his other trusted right-hand men, including his military chief, Mohammed Atif ran the operation itself. That said, al-zawari's name was still attached to the plot and this, along with his close association with Bin Laden, brought him further infamy Following 9-11 and the US invasion of Afghanistan. Al-zawari's whereabouts were unknown, though he was thought to be in Pakistan's tribal areas. He frequently released videos of himself, but was not seen with Bin Laden after 2003. Notably in 2001, the FBI placed Al-Zawari on their most wanted list, offering up to $25 million for information leading to his capture or conviction. In late 2004, bin Laden officially designated Al-Zawari as his deputy.

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Two years later, the CIA launched an airstrike on the Pakistani village of Damodola, where they believed Al-Zawari was hiding out. However, the airstrike failed to do anything but kill innocent civilians along with several terrorists. Al-zawari was not among them. In 2008, cps obtained a copy of an intercepted letter dated July 29th 2008. The letter requested that a doctor immediately see and treat Al-Zawari, who was seriously wounded during a US missile strike on the village of Azan-Warsan in July of that year. Later that year, the Pakistan Army claimed they almost captured the leader after being informed that he and his wife were in the district of Mormand. Though the area was raided, he was not found.

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In April of 2009, the US State Department stated that Al-Zawari was now Al-Qaeda's operational and strategic commander, while Bin Laden played the role of the organization's ideological figurehead. Bin Laden remained at large until May 2nd 2011, when he was finally tracked down and slain by US forces while hiding out in a batabag, pakistan. Following his demise, a US intelligence official revealed that even after 9-11, bin Laden had remained heavily involved in the planning of various terrorist organizations, noting that his hideout was an active command and control center and that Bin Laden was also active in driving tactical decisions within Al-Qaeda. With Bin Laden gone, al-zawari took up the reins and made several new changes to the organization. He first gave associated groups more ability to go after their own objectives and second took on new affiliates, helping organizations such as Al-Shabab develop explosives which would allow them to target US planes Notably. Al-shabab was based in the Horn of Africa and Al-Zawari believed that a good relationship with the organization would allow Al-Qaeda to expand in this area successfully at a later date.

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However, despite Al-Zawari's patience and bright ideas, western journalists have noted that his lack of charisma was a hindrance as he tried to lead Al-Qaeda. One man reportedly told him in his teenage years no matter what group you belong to you cannot be its leader by all accounts. His speeches and writings were dull and he was not respected and adored in the same way that Bin Laden was. Many of his comrades were quick to point out that, unlike Bin Laden, al-zawari was not a soldier and had never seen combat. Overall, al-zawari was viewed as a more controversial figure and was not universally accepted in the same way that his predecessor had been. The Death of Al-Zawari Still, al-zawari remained as the head of al-Qaeda and spent the last two decades of his life in hiding.

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On July 31st 2022, just after 6am, al-zawari was killed during a drone strike carried out by the CIA in the Sherpa neighbourhood of Kabul. The strike had taken out a property owned by an aide to a senior official of the Taliban government. Experts noted that there were no civilian casualties and on August 1st, us President Joe Biden announced that the US Intelligence Committee had located Al-Zawari in early 2022 and the operation to strike the property had been authorised by Biden a week earlier. Al-zawari was 71 at the time of his demise. In December of 2022, al-qaeda released a 35 minute recording they claimed was narrated by Al-Zawari, though it was not dated and it's unclear when the video was made.

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The group has not officially named a successor, but SAFE AL-ABDAL is believed to have taken over. Al-abdal is a former Egyptian colonel and explosives expert who is still under indictment by the US for the bomb attacks he helped carry out on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998. A 2023 United Nations report noted that it's possible. Al-abdal has not been officially designated as Al-Qaeda's new leader, in part due to the theological and operational challenges posed by the fact that Al-Abdal is currently residing in Iran. The aftermath In the last decade, al-qaeda has struggled to move forward with his grand and ambitious plans.

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Technological advancements have made it far more difficult for terrorist organisations to operate in a post-911 world. Drones strikes are frequent and intelligence services have a far greater ability now to track down and apprehend the members of the group and others like it. According to analyst Bryce Lloydld, who wrote for the Texas National Security Review last year, us airstrikes eroded the quality of Al-Qaeda's personal basis, forced the group to reduce communications and other activities, and compelled group members to flee its safe haven in Pakistan's tribal regions. Former director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, christopher Miller, noted that the organisation was in crisis in 2020. Al-qaeda is unpopular among Muslims, who have no empathy or support for the ideals of militant Islamists, and while several Middle Eastern countries are still currently enduring civil wars, including Yemen and Syria, there is still no place for extremists among them. Their actions as written by Daniel Byman for foreign policy in 2022, simply add to the killing and misery of ordinary people.

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Al-zawari's twin sister once described her sibling as silent and shy, but those who knew him in the terrorist world called him clever, cautious and dedicated, and noted his belief that attention brings trouble.

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Though he was often said to have some of his predecessors charm, al-zawari had a devotion to the cause in spadefuls, and he was frequently described as Al-Qaeda's intellectual spine or backbone of its leadership. He helped Mold bin Laden, turning him from a dedicated Saudi Arabian preacher to a deadly terrorist who rocked the world and forced US foreign policy to drastically change. Al-zawari himself changed too. While he'd started off as a teenage boy who disapproved of secularism and despised the way his Egyptian government ruled, he soon became so entrenched in his beliefs that he began a brutal campaign to lash out at the biggest so-called enemy he knew the US. In 1993, a London-based newspaper asked Al-Zawari when he planned to return to Egypt. His response again made clear that nothing was more important than his beliefs. He told the reporter I will be back as a conqueror only, and I do not accept being back in return for giving up my ideas of Jihad.