Al Qaeda releases video it claims is narrated by leader Al-Zawahiri who was believed dead – SITE

This still image from video obtained on October 26, 2012 courtesy of the Site Intelligence Group shows Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri speaking in a video, from an undisclosed location, released by Al-Qaeda’s media arm, as-Sahab, and titled "Zawahiri Calls for Continuing Egyptian Revolution, Questions Morsi." (Photo courtesy: AFP)

• The recording is undated and it is hard to clearly determine the time frame when it may have been made by the group
• Al-Zawahiri was killed in a US strike in Afghanistan, the biggest blow to Al Qaeda since Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011

CAIRO: Al Qaeda has released a 35-minute recording the group claims was narrated by its leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was believed to have been killed in a US raid in August 2022, SITE intelligence group said on Friday.

The recording was undated and the transcript did not clearly point toward a time frame for when it could have been made.

Zawahiri was killed in a US strike in Afghanistan, the biggest blow to the militant group since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

Zawahiri had been in hiding for years, and the operation to locate and kill him was the result of “careful, patient and persistent” work by the counterterrorism and intelligence community, a senior US administration official said.

Al Qaeda has not named a successor. But Saif Al-Adel, a mysterious, low-key former Egyptian special forces officer who is a high-ranking member of Al Qaeda, is seen by experts as the top contender.

The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest.