Former Egyptian cop is Al Qaeda's interim CEO

Washington: Amid speculation on the new Al Qaeda leader after the death of fugitive Osama bin Laden early this month, the dreaded terrorist outfit zeroed in on a former Egyptian Special Forces officer Saif al-Adel, to head the organisation in the interim, a CNN report said.The new Al Qaeda 'caretaker' boss is reportedly a top strategist and a senior military leader, CNN said, citing former Libyan militant Noman Benotman, who has renounced the group's ideology.[caption id="attachment_11521" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Saif al-Adel, the Egyptian who guarded Osama bin Laden before and headed the group's military unit, is now the interim chief of the organisation. Reuters"][/caption]Pakistan's The News newspaper corroborated the claim, citing unnamed sources in an article datelined Rawalpindi, a city that houses the GHQ of the Pakistani Armed Forces.The decision to chose Adel, also known as Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi, came as militants grew increasingly restive over the lack of a formal successor to bin Laden, who was killed in a dramatic US commando raid deep in Pakistan on 2 May, Benotman told CNN.Bin Laden's long-time deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, another Egyptian, is considered to be his presumed successor.Benotman said the appointment of Adel on a temporary basis may be a way for the group to gauge reaction to having someone outside the Muslim holy region of the Arabian Peninsula at the helm.AFP