Al-Qaida's No 2 has issued a eulogy for Osama bin Laden, saying the slain terror network's chief terrified America when he was alive and would continue to do so in death.
Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaida's likely next leader and long considered its operational head, heaped praise on bin Laden, killed in the May 2 US raid in Pakistan.
Al-Zawahri, who is believed to be operating from somewhere near the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, also blasted the United States for burying bin Laden at sea and urged the Pakistani people to rise against the country's military rulers and politicians, describing them as "traitors."
Al-Zawahri appeared in a white Arab robe and turban, a Kalashnikov at his side, in a 28-minute video posted on militant websites on Thursday.