US identifies new al-Qaida terror boss

US officials believe they have identified a young former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden as al-Qaida’s new chief of terror operations in the Gulf.

Abu Hazim al-Sha’ir, a 29-year-old Yemeni now believed to be living in Saudi Arabia, is one of a new crop of al-Qaida operatives trying to fill the roles of senior bin Laden lieutenants who have been captured or killed since September 11, according to US officials.