Al Qaeda leader appears in video on 20-year milestone of 9/11 after many believed he died months ago

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared in a video commemorating 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks despite rumors that he died months earlier.

The SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S.-based group that watches terrorist websites, noted that the al-Zawahiri video appeared on networks Saturday, according to the Associated Press.

SITE director Rita Katz observed that in the video, titled “Jerusalem Will Not be Judaized,” al-Zawahiri displayed knowledge of events that had taken place since last November, when rumors of his death began to emerge. She mentioned how he referenced a January 2021 raid of a Russian military base in Syria by Hurras al-Deen, a group aligned with al Qaeda.

“Tragic as it is to say, this 9/11 anniversary is a uniquely positive one for al-Qaeda. As one AQ supporter wrote, the US leaving Afghanistan is validation of Bin Laden’s vision and the ‘blessed’ 9/11 attacks, and that ‘Afghanistan is the beginning,'” tweeted Katz.

​​”Amid rumors of his death, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri shown in a new 60-minute video, this time offering some evidence that he is not dead​ – ​particularly, reference to events after December when rumors of death surfaced,” Katz continued. – READ MORE