Nairobi — The man who masterminded the 1998 terrorist attacks on US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam is believed to have taken over the leadership of al-Shabaab in war-torn Somalia, Kenyan counter-terrorism officials say.

Ahmed Al Fazul (below) took charge of the ragtag army after the dramatic killing of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who previously led the group that has been a constant headache to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and US anti-terror campaign.