Said al-Adel is a high-ranking member of Al Qaeda, according to FBI.
The killing of Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri in a US drone strike has left the terror group without an ’emir’. Saif al-Adel, a senior Al Qaeda leader, is expected to take over the reins of the group.
Here’s a brief profile of Saif al-Adel:
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He is on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists. The agency mentions on its website that al-Adel was born on April 11, though his birth year is either 1960 or 1963. He has used aliases like Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi, Seif Al Adel, Ibrahim Al-Madani. The FBI has announced a reward of $10 million for any information about him.
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According to Middle East Institute, Saif al-Adel is an Egyptian ex army officer and a founding member of Al Qaeda. He had joined the precursor terror group Maktab al-Khidmat in 1980s.
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Saif al-Adel met Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri during this period and joined their group Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). He also fought the Russian forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
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The ‘Most Wanted Terrorist’ is being sought in connection with “conspiracy to kill United States nationals, murder, destroying buildings and property of the United States, and destroying the national defense Utilities of the United States”, according to FBI.
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The US is also looking for him for the August 1998 bombings targeting American embassies in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Nairobi (Kenya). He also oversaw the ambush of US forces and helicopters in Mogadishu, Somalia – the infamous “Black Hawk Down” incident in which 18 Americans died.