"Even to say he is Bin Laden's right-hand man may, in fact, understate his importance...Some analysts believe that in his current role in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri has taken over control of much of Bin Laden's terrorist finances, operations, plans and resources, following the assurance reportedly given by Bin Laden to the Taliban that he would no longer engage in terrorist activities." UK.

"Israel's military intelligence service, Aman, suspects that Iraq is the state that sponsored the suicide attacks on the New York Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington. Directing the mission, Aman officers believe, were two of the world's foremost terrorist masterminds: the Lebanese Imad Mughniyeh, head of the special overseas operations for Hizbullah, and the Egyptian Dr Ayman Al Zawahiri, senior member of Al-Qaeda and possible successor of the ailing Osama Bin Laden."

Ed Blanche. "It may be that the USA would find it prudent to go after al-Zawahiri first if it wants to eliminate the enemy it has identified. Indeed, the genesis of what the USA thinks it is coming to grips with may well lie more in Egypt than in Saudi Arabia."

Douglas Jehl. "Dr. Zawahiri is now the most senior among several hundred Egyptians thought to be working under Mr. bin Laden's leadership in Afghanistan, as part of the pact in February 1998 in which he enlisted his own faction with Mr. bin Laden's group and other organizations in what they called The Islamic Front for Fighting Crusaders and Jews." USA.