Bin Laden's successor to face financing crisis – Think Tank
12/05/2011 By Mohammed Al Shafey
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=25151

London, Asharq Al-Awsat – Observers believe that Bin Laden's death will not
weaken the jihadist movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan and elsewhere in
the world; however Al Qaeda was a Bin Laden construct, he was behind the
September 11 attacks, whilst all members of Al Qaeda pledged their
allegiance to Osama Bin Laden the man, rather than to the organization or to
any specific ideology. In this regard, Noman Benotman, a former leader of
the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group [Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya al-Muqatilah bi
Libya – LIFG], stressed that there are huge problems within the Al Qaeda
organization following Osama Bin Laden's death. Benotman, who today is a
Senior Analyst (Strategic Communications) at the London-based anti-Islamist
think tank Quilliam, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the financial support that
was being provided to Al Qaeda, from figures in the Gulf and Pakistan, was
being provided due to trust and confidence in Bin Laden, and that the
financial aid may dry up following the death of the Al Qaeda leader. He
added "with the death of Bin Laden, Al Qaeda is lacking the force of a
commander to inspire the disparate groups that are connected to the
organizations in the Middle East and North Africa."

Benotman also told Asharq Al-Al-Awsat that Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin
Laden's deputy leader, was the "mastermind" behind Osama Bin Laden,
describing the Egyptian jihadist as being "the brains" of Al Qaeda. He also
acknowledged that the strategic turning point in the history of Al Qaeda,
namely the targeting of the US as the great enemy, rather than the Middle
East regimes, represented a blow to al-Zawahiri, who wanted to overthrow the
Egyptian government. According to Benotman, Bin Laden influenced
al-Zawahiri's ideology in this regard, telling him "forget the closest
enemies [the Middle East governments], and instead put your sights on the
main enemy, and that is the United States."

As for who could succeed Bin Laden in leading Al Qaeda, Benotman played down
the US assertions that Ilyas al-Kashmiri was a major contender, saying that
"whoever put forward the name Ilyas al-Kashmiri has no genuine knowledge
about the Al Qaeda organization." One US official, talking to US network
NBC, said that "his [Kashmiri] star has been on the rise for the last
several years…he would have to be on the Al Qaeda shortlist."

Benotman told Asharq Al-Awsat that "most likely, al-Zawahiri will succeed
Bin Laden as leader of the Al Qaeda organization, which is currently facing
the threat of fragmentation, however he will try to win over the different
factions, including Al Qaeda in Yemen, where Anwar al-Awlaki is present and
can unite the organization."

Other fundamentalist sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that there is a
possibility that Ayman al-Zawahiri could be hiding in a Pakistani city, in
the same manner that Osama Bin Laden was discovered hiding out in
Abbottabad, not far from the Pakistani capital.