Al Qaeda - Their Ideology Before And After 9/11

This report reviews Al Qaeda's use of public statements from the mid-1990s to the present and analyzes the evolving ideological and political content of those statements. The report focuses primarily on statements made by Osama Bin Laden, but also considers: statements made by his deputy Ayman Al Zawahiri, who some experts consider to be Al Qaeda's chief ideologue; remarks by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, who has been recognized by Osama Bin Laden as an Al Qaeda ally and the leader of "mujahideen" operations in Iraq; and a May 2005 statement from Al Qaeda military leader Sayf Al Adl.