In 1978 , al-Zawahiri married his first wife , Azza Ahmed Nowari , a student at Cairo University who was studying philosophy . Their wedding , which was held at the Continental Hotel in Opera Square , was very conservative , with separate areas for both men and women , and no music , photographs , or humour . Many years later , when the United States attacked Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks in October 2001 , Azza apparently had no idea that al-Zawahiri had supposedly been a jihadi emir ( commander ) for the last decade . In June 2012 , one of Zawahiri 's four wives , Umaima Hassan , released a statement on the internet congratulating the role played by Muslim women in the Arab Spring
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Ayman al-Zawahiri