Heba Mohamed al-Zawahiri is the twin sister of Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian-born physician and theologian who was the leader of terrorist group al-Qaeda from June 2011 until July 2022, when he was killed in Afghanistan.
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Heba is a professor of medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University and famously described her brother as “silent and shy”.
Her brother was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday July 31, 2022.
US Presidenty Mr Biden said al-Zawahiri had “carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens”.
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“From hiding, he co-ordinated al-Qaeda’s branches and all around the world, including setting priorities for providing operational guidance and calling for and inspired attacks against US targets,” the president said in a live television address from the White House.
“Now justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more,” he added.
Ayman al-Zawahiri succeeded Osama bin Laden following his death in Pakistan, and was earlier a senior member of Islamist organizations which led attacks in Asia, Africa, North America and Europe.
In 2012, al-Zawahiri called on Muslims to kidnap Westerners in Muslim countries.
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