Washington, June 10 (ANI): American counter terrorism experts have identified at least five potential next-generation leaders of Al-Qaeda, including three with U.S. connections, according to a report.
Experts believe after the death of Al Qaeda No. 2 Abu Yahya al-Libi in a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan, the terrorist group's highest councils once again face the daunting task of filling a leadership void and selecting a next-generation jihadist capable of succeeding current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, reports The News.
"It would be a mistake for anyone to conclude there is no one on the bench. It's a thinning bench, but there are still bad guys, with bad aspirations in Al-Qaeda's core group in Pakistan," an U.S. official said.
According to The New York Post, the five potential next-generation leaders identified by the officials include Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah, a 36-year-old Saudi who reportedly is director of operations for Al-Qaeda, who spent his teenage years in Brooklyn and Florida. He was reportedly involved in a 2009 plot to bomb the New York City subway.
The second potential successor is Jaber A El-Baneh, a 45-year-old Yemeni who lived for a time in Buffalo, and was viewed as the mastermind of the Lackawanna Six plot in 2003.
The other three potential leaders are Adam Gadahn, a 33-year-old American and Al-Qaeda strategist, Sheikh Khalid Abdur Rahman al-Hussainan, a 45-year-old Kuwaiti who is a cleric and teacher, and Ali Sayyid Muhamed Mustafa al-Bakri, a 46-year-old Egyptian with explosives and chemical weapons expertise. (ANI)
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