AFP/Washington
 |
|
An Amtrak police officer and a sniffer dog patrol a platform at Union Station in Washington on Friday, five days after Al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seals in Pakistan |
A senior intelligence official also told reporters at the Pentagon that bin Laden had remained a key leader in Al Qaeda, and was overseeing strategy and operations from his secret compound in Pakistan.
“He was far from a figurehead, he was an active player,” the official said. Journalists were shown five videos including one in which the Al Qaeda chief was shown inside his secret compound, holding a remote and watching images of himself on television, giving clear indication of bin Laden’s interest in his own image on networks around the world.
Another video is described by bin Laden as “A message to the American people” that is believed to have been recorded in October or November, a senior US intelligence official told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.
The videos, seized during the historic raid last Sunday-Monday that killed bin Laden and ended the most elaborate manhunt in history, were part of a treasure trove of documents and evidence, some of which showed that bin Laden remained a senior director of the terror group.
Al Qaeda is struggling to cope with the killing of its leader and it remains an “open question” who will succeed bin Laden, a senior US intelligence official said yesterday.
Al Qaeda acknowledged the death of bin Laden in a statement but “it is noteworthy that the group did not announce a new leader, suggesting it is still trying to deal with bin Laden’s demise,” the intelligence official told reporters.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian surgeon long considered Al Qaeda’s number two, “is obviously the presumed successor,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“But there are strong indications he is not popular within certain circles of the group. So I believe it’s an open question as to who will take over from Osama bin Laden.”
Some within Al Qaeda saw Zawahiri as lacking charisma and given to meddling or “micro-managing,” the official said.
“If free and fair elections were held, Zawahiri most likely would have a fight on his hands,” the official said.
Like his Saudi-born co-conspirator, Zawahiri has been in hiding ever since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Unlike his late comrade, Zawahiri is presumed still at large.
Reportedly last seen in October 2001 in eastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, he has released multiple videos from hiding, calling for war on the West.