U.S. Zeroes in on Former Bin Laden Deputy
Computers snatched during raid may lead to al-Qaida’s likely leader in waiting.
| Posted Friday, May 6, 2011, at 4:14 PM
If al-Qaida plans to tap Ayman al Zawahiri as its next leader, as most experts expect, the terror group may want to go ahead and start working on a back-up plan.
CBS News reported Friday afternoon that among the digital and handwritten materials that the Navy SEALs snatched during the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden is info that may lead U.S. forces to the location of Zawahiri.
An unidentified “intelligence source” tells CBS that U.S. officials sifting through the materials have found “positive intelligence” that is helping to narrow down the location of Zawahiri and a number of other key members of al-Qaida leadership.
The source warns that while the info is promising, it won’t lead U.S. forces directly to Zawahiri’s door: “It’s not as easy as going to an address. They may not be there anymore but it helps [as] a point of reference.”
Earlier Friday, al-Qaida leaders posted a statement online confirming the death of Bin Laden, a move thought to open the door for the group to name a new No. 1. Most experts have pegged Zawahiri as the odds-on favorite to succeed his former boss.
