LONDON (Reuters) - A leading specialist on al Qaeda said on Tuesday an Egyptian veteran militant was acting as an interim operational leader pending the expected appointment of deputy chief Ayman al-Zawahri as successor to Osama bin Laden.
Noman Benotman, a former associate of bin Laden and now an analyst with Britain's Quilliam Foundation think tank, told Reuters Saif al-Adel was operating in effect as interim leader while the organisation collected pledges of loyalty to Zawahri.
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