Yemen’s new al-Qaida leader chosen after death of Nasir al-Wahishi

Qassem al-Rimi, the new leader of Al-Qaeda’s most feared branch, was among the Yemen-based group’s founders and its military chief who has recruited a generation of fighters dedicated to jihad. Also known as Abu Huraira al-Sanaani, the Yemeni was appointed military commander of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on its formation in 2009 in a merger between its branches in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Under his command, AQAP claimed a January attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo which killed 12 people, and was also behind an attempt to blow up a U.S. commercial airliner on Christmas Day 2009.

He has played a key role in reviving the regional node of Al-Qaeda and has played an important role in recruiting the current generation of militants making up the Yemen-based AQAP

U.S. State Department

Washington, which labelled Rimi a “Global Terrorist” in May 2010, had offered a $5-million reward for any information leading to his capture or killing. Rimi was in a group of fighters, including Wuhayshi, who operated under slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s direct supervision.

Middle East al qaeda