Months after rumors had been spread that he was dead, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri appeared in a video marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, THE SITE Intelligence Group reported Saturday.
Since late 2020, rumors had spread that al-Zawahri had died from an illness. Since that time, no proof had surfaced that he was still alive—until Saturday.
SITE, which monitors jihadist websites, tweeted about the existence of the 60-minute video. During the video, al-Zawahri made comments about events that occurred after speculation first emerged that he died. He also said in the video that “Jerusalem will never be Judaized,” praising al-Qaida attacks, including one that targeted Russian troops in Syria in January.
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared in a new video marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, months after rumors spread that he was dead. pic.twitter.com/lTVplK424v
— ️ (@IntelCube) September 12, 2021
Wionews.com reported, however, that ISIS, another terrorist group, “doubts the veracity of the video” and challenged that al-Qaida “to prove that al-Zawahiri is alive.”
An Egyptian, al-Zawahri became the leader of al-Qaida after Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Follow breaking news like this on our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.
