The United Nations on terror has placed a $10 million U.S. bounty on al Qaeda on Seif al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces officer who is a high-ranking member of al Qaeda.

According to the report, al-Adel is now the “uncontested” leader of the militant group, although the terror organization has not formally named a successor for Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was believed to have been killed in a United States missile strike in Kabul last year, dealing a blow to the organisation since its founder Osama bin Laden was killed in 2011.

The slain terrorist took over al-Qaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden in 2011. The duo plotted the 9/11 attacks together, and he was one of America’s most wanted terrorists.

Experts say Adel planned attacks from the shadows as he helped turn al Qaeda into the world’s deadliest militant group. Al-Adel approach is unlike his slain predecessors who maintained a high profile with fiery videos broadcast around the globe threatening the United States.

Adel was indicted and charged in November 1998 by a U.S. federal grand jury for his role in the bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 civilians and wounded more than 5,000.

There are few photos of him, aside from three pictures – including a very serious black and white image of him on the FBI’s most wanted list.

The US State Department says Adel is based in Iran. The department is offering up to $10 million for information on Adel, whom it says is a member of “al Qaeda’s leadership council” and heads the organisation’s military committee.

Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations denied Adel was in Iran in a message posted on Twitter on Wednesday,

“It is worth noting that the address for the so-called newly appointed Al-Qaeda leader is incorrect. This misinformation could potentially hinder efforts to combat terrorism,” it said.