Saif al-Adel

Mohamed Salah al-Din al-Halim Zaidan, commonly known by his nom de guerre Saif al-Adel, is an Egyptian Islamic militant who is the de facto leader of al-Qaeda. Previously an Egyptian Army officer, al-Adel fought the Soviets as an Afghan Arab before becoming a founding member of al-Qaeda. He is a member of al-Qaeda's Majlis al-Shura and has headed the organization's military committee since the death of Mohammad Atef in 2001. It is alleged that as of 2023 he is living in Iran along with several other senior members of the group, though this remains unproven.