Al-Qaeda has appointed Ayman al-Zawahiri as leader following the death of Osama Bin¹ Laden², the organisation's general command says in a statement.

基地组织总指挥部在一份声明中称，继奥萨马·本·拉登之死，委任阿伊曼·阿尔-扎瓦希里为其新领导人。

Zawahiri warned a week ago that Bin Laden would continue to 'terrify' the US from beyond the grave
Bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in early May.

In the statement, al-Qaeda "announces that Sheikh Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, may God guide him, assumed responsibility as the group's amir [leader]".

It warned it would continue to fight a jihad（讨伐异教徒） or holy war against the US and Israel under his direction.

Zawahiri is believed by some experts to have been the "operational brains" behind the 9/11 attacks on the US.

He was Bin Laden's deputy for years and warned just over a week ago that Bin Laden would continue to "terrify" the US from beyond the grave.

For years security analysts³ have suggested Zawahiri is most likely to be hiding in the Afghan-Pakistan border region.

However, Bin Laden and other key militant⁴ leaders who were also believed to be concealed⁵ there have instead been discovered in Pakistani towns and cities.