CAIRO (AP) — Osama bin Laden’s deputy has issued a eulogy for the slain al-Qaida chief, saying he “terrified America” when he was alive and would continue to do so in death.
Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaida’s longtime No. 2 and considered its operational head, heaped praise on bin Laden, killed in the May 2 U.S. raid in Pakistan.
Al-Zawahri also blasted the United States for burying bin Laden at sea and urged the Pakistani people to rise against the country’s military rulers and politicians, describing them as “traitors.”
Likely al-Qaida’s next leader, al-Zawahri is believed to be operating from somewhere near the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier.
Al-Zawahri appeared in a white Arab robe and turban, a Kalashnikov at his side, in a 28-minute video posted on militant websites on Wednesday.
