CAIRO (AP) — Al-Qaeda in Iraq said in a Web statement posted Monday that a militant named Abu Hamza al-Muhajer was the group's new leader. Al-Muhajer succeeds Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed Wednesday by a U.S. airstrike on his hideout northeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The name al-Muhajer, Arabic for "immigrant," suggested he was not Iraqi.
"Al-Qaeda in Iraq's council has agreed on Sheik Abu Hamza al-Muhajer to be the successor for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the leadership of the organization," said a statement signed by the group on an Islamic militant Web forum where it often posts messages.
It said al-Muhajer was "a beloved brother with jihadi (holy war) experience and a strong footing in knowledge."
The authenticity of the statement could not be independently confirmed.