We haven't heard much about Zarqawi's "replacement" since we found out he was in jail already [View All]

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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/world/middleeast/03iraqcnd.html?ex=1309492800&en=03562e442ed8209e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

<snip>Mr. Douri became the country's most-wanted man after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of the insurgent group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia who was killed in an American airstrike last month. Mr. Zarqawi's replacement, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, known sometimes as Sheik Abu Mamza al-Muhajer, also appeared on the most-wanted list today; the American government issued a $5 million bounty for him on Friday.


http://english.aljazeera.net/news/archive/archive?ArchiveId=24294

Zarqawi successor 'in Egypt jail'

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the purported successor of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is in an Egyptian prison and not Iraq, a lawyer has claimed.

Egyptian newspaper Al-Masri al-Yawm has quoted Mamduh Ismail as saying he met al-Muhajir, also known as Sharif Hazaa, or Abu Ayub al-Masri, in Tura prison in Cairo, where he has been held for seven years.

"Sharif Hazaa is in Tura prison, and I met him two days ago while I was visiting some of my clients," Ismail, a lawyer known for defending Islamist groups, told the newspaper.

Al-Muhajir is on the "most wanted" list issued by the Iraqi government last week. The US military in Iraq has put a $5 million price on his head.

The US army media centre in Iraq said: "We cannot comment on the news that ... al-Masri is in an Egyptian prison and not in Iraq, we have to clarify that from the Egyptian government."



The US military had announced after the death of al-Zarqawi that al-Masri had been appointed the leader of al-Qaeda's organisation in Iraq.