Ayman al-Zawahiri

Al-Qaeda terrorist leader (1951–2022), Muslim jurist and theologian (Sunni), surgeon

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Egypt rank#71

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Fame66.3
Momentum1.2
Egypt rank#71
Doctors rank#14
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Lived 1951–2022, aged 71Egypt

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Wikipedia
86 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Egypt
#71
Doctors
Era
1951–2022
Aged 71

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

Egyptian physician who became the second leader of al-Qaeda and one of the main architects of the September 11 attacks.

Biography

About

Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cairo University with a degree in medicine and a master's degree in surgery, working as a surgeon while becoming a leading figure in Egyptian Islamic Jihad. He was imprisoned from 1981 to 1984 for his role in the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. His continued actions against the Egyptian government, including planning the 1995 attack on the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan, led to a death sentence in absentia in 1999. A close associate of Osama bin Laden, he held significant sway over al-Qaeda's operations and was wanted for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings…

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