This is an account of the development of tensions between violent and non-violent factions in radical Islamist movements, from the perspective of an insider. It is also a biography of one of the world’s most-wanted terrorists: Egyptian-born Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri. Widely recognized as the man who will take over the leadership of Al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, he is also the reputed architect of the Riyadh bombings in Saudi Arabia. The author provides insight into the internal politics of Islamic Jihad, and the radicalization of bin Laden’s deputy; he examines Zawahiri’s opposition to efforts by other militant Islamists to call a ceasefire with the Egyptian authoritiesl; and he narrates the redirection of Zawahiri’s activities towards the US and Israel.