Following the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in an American raid, the question about his succession comes back to the fore again after he raised a great deal of confusion within the organization since his absence, and the name of Saif al-Adl also returns with him to be the person closest to the succession of al-Zawahiri.
The killing of al-Qaeda terrorist leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a US drone strike in the Afghan capital, Kabul, rekindled the battle of speculation over his succession in the field once again.
Before the killing of al-Zawahiri in a residential house in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saif al-Adl al-Masry topped the list of candidates for al-Zawahiri's succession, as Saif al-Adl was described as "the last hope of al-Qaeda."
Many wonder about the new leader of al-Qaeda and his history, as he is one of those described as al-Qaeda's guards or "the founders of the organization", while some described it as the last chance to revive "al-Qaeda" on the model of Osama bin Laden.
All researchers believe that the name of Mohamed Salah Zeidan, known as the "Egyptian Sword of Justice", is the most prominent figure to succeed Al-Zawahiri after his death.
And Mohamed Salah El-Din Zeidan, known as “Saif al-Adl al-Masry,” was born in 1960 in the Menoufia governorate in Egypt. His tendencies to join terrorist organizations began in the mid-1980s, after his participation in the assassination attempt on former Egyptian Interior Minister Hassan Abu Pasha, and considering him a security wanted in a case The assassination of former Egyptian President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, and his accusation in the case of reviving the "Jihad" organization.
After his release, due to the lack of sufficient evidence against him, he managed to escape to Saudi Arabia in 1989, before accompanying Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden to Sudan in 1992.
Saif al-Adl al-Masry began his life with Al-Qaeda in 1989, shortly after the organization was established, and played an active role in building the organization's operational capabilities.
According to American media, at the beginning of his joining the organization, he worked as a trainer in Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, teaching militants how to carry out kidnappings and assassinations.
He quickly climbed into the al-Qaeda hierarchy, as he held the position of head of al-Qaeda's security committee, in the mid-1990s, and played an important role in establishing al-Qaeda's infrastructure in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia.
And the US and British intelligence agencies allocated financial rewards of 7.5 million pounds and 10 million dollars to anyone who provides information on the so-called "Sword of Justice" after his participation in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which left 224 people dead.
He described Saif al-Adl as one of the most effective al-Qaeda operatives and one of the remaining leaders from the pre-9/11 era, enabling him to take over the leadership from the al-Qaeda leader.
In turn, observers believe that there are other personalities running for the position, including "Al-Zawahiri's son-in-law, known as Abdul Rahman al-Mughrabi, which is considered the escalation of a new emir of the organization from outside the remaining founders of al-Qaeda, known as the "guards of al-Qaeda."
The ICCT Center for Counter-Terrorism also mentioned other candidates, including Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, an al-Qaeda operations commander, Muhammad Amin al-Haq, an Afghan national, security official for former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and Ali al-Bakri, known as Abdulaziz al-Masri, a member of the Council of Ministers. Shura al-Qaeda, an expert on explosives and chemical weapons, and Washington offered a reward of 5 million dollars for information on him.
There is also Abu Turab al-Urduni, Mustafa Hamid, known as Abu al-Walid al-Masri, Saif al-Adl's brother-in-law, Qari Saifullah Akhtar, and Abdullah Ahmad Abdullah, a member of al-Qaeda's Shura Council, working as a financial official, facilitator and operations planner.