Al-Qaeda recruits new blood

2004-08-10 16:20

Washington - Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network has named new leaders to replace those who have been killed or captured, promoting from within and recruiting new operatives to run the organization, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing intelligence officials.

"Al-Qaeda's upper ranks are being filled by lower-ranking members and more recent recruits," the daily said, referring to computer records, documents and e-mail addresses seized after the July 12 arrest in Lahore, Pakistan of 25-year-old Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan.

Khan's computer contained photos and surveillance reports on financial institutions in New York, Washington and Newark, New Jersey, as well as London's Heathrow airport.

"The results create a far more complex picture of al-Qaeda's status," the daily said. "The new evidence suggests that the organisation is regenerating and bringing in new blood."

The New York Times noted that intelligence officials have not yet pinpointed al-Qaeda's top leaders. Authorities are examining whether bin Laden is still at the helm of the organization or whether he has passed those responsibilities on to his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

- AFP