Iran could play role in future of al-Qaida

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The death of Osama bin Laden has put a new focus on what role Iran might play in al-Qaida’s future, as intelligence officials around the world analyzed reports that Saif al-Adel had taken over as al-Qaida’s interim leader. Al-Adel was last known to be under house arrest outside Tehran.

The terrorist r sum of al-Adel, one of al-Qaida’s founders, includes helpingorchestrate the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa. But he had sharp disagreements with bin Laden’s leadership and opposed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He accurately predicted that inciting the wrath of the U.S. would hurt al-Qaida’s worldwide efforts.

Al-Adel is among the many senior al-Qaida figures who fled into Iran after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. They were arrested there in 2003 and were placed under what has loosely been called “house arrest” in a compound outside Tehran. Over the years, some have been able to come and go, and the U.S. has worried that Iran someday would free them to restore al-Qaida’s ranks.

This week, Noman Benotman, a former jihadist with links to al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan who is now a security analyst in London, said al-Adel will serve as al-Qaida’s interim leader until bin Laden’s permanent successor is named.

It’s unclear where al-Adel is. He is among the FBI’s most-wanted terrorists, and the U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for his capture.