( CNN ) -- Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is calling on Muslims to kidnap Westerners , citing the success in the abduction of American aid worker Warren Weinstein in Pakistan . In a two-part , more than two-hour video posted on jihadist websites , al-Zawahiri called for the abductions as part of a vow not to `` spare any efforts '' to free Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman , the mastermind behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing . `` God the great and almighty granted us success to capture the Jewish American Warren Weinstein , '' al-Zawahiri said in the video posted Wednesday , according to the terror monitoring group SITE Intelligence . `` We are seeking , by the help of God , to capture others and to incite Muslims to capture the citizens of the countries that are fighting Muslims in order to release our captives . '' Also in the video , al-Zawahiri called for Sharia law to be instituted in Egypt , and he questioned Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy for his stances on a number of issues , including Israel . `` I call on every free and honorable ( person ) in Egypt to participate in every protest against the Israeli Embassy , against the peace treaty with Israel , against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land , and against every siege of Gaza , '' al-Zawahiri said . `` Islamic movements and masses must be at the forefront of those protests and the first to sacrifice for their sake . '' The video is the latest in a series released by al-Zawahiri , who was al Qaeda 's No . 2 leader under Osama bin Laden . He took over leadership in June 2011 following bin Laden 's death , according to statements posted on jihadist websites . In the latest video , al-Zawahiri apologized to Abdel-Rahman , dubbed `` the blind sheikh , '' for his imprisonment . The Egyptian-born Abdel-Rahman was convicted in 1995 of conspiracy . He is serving a life sentence at a federal prison in North Carolina . Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the August 2011 abduction of Weinstein from his home in the Pakistani city of Lahore . Months later , al-Zawahiri made a number of demands of the United States in exchange for Weinstein 's release . Among the demands was the release of Abdel-Rahman . Al-Zawahiri messages show interest in exploiting Syria violence . In May , al Qaeda released a video of the 71-year-old Weinstein pleading with President Barack Obama to meet the demands . `` My life is in your hands , Mr. President , '' he said in the video . `` If you accept the demands , I live . If you do n't accept the demands , then I die . '' U.S. officials have said Washington will not bargain with al Qaeda . Weinstein was captured after his kidnappers managed to overcome the three security guards who were protecting him . One of the FBI 's most wanted terrorists , al-Zawahiri has played a defining role in al Qaeda . He is believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan 's tribal region that borders Afghanistan . He was indicted in absentia for his alleged role in the August 7 , 1998 , bombings of the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam , Tanzania , and Nairobi , Kenya , that killed 224 civilians and wounded more than 5,000 others , according to the National Counterterrorism Center , part of the U.S. federal government . The FBI is offering a $ 25 million reward for information leading to his capture , the same amount as the reward for bin Laden . Al-Zawahiri 's wife and three children were killed in December 2001 in a U.S. attack on the family 's residence in Afghanistan .
Khalid al - Qaeda calls for the kidnapping of Westerners . Al Qaeda 's leader made the call in a video posted on jihadist websites . Al - Qaeda cites the kidnapping of Warren Harding as an example .