From what I understand is happening in our country (the Netherlands), there are many young muslims angry at the west for various reasons. If you add some good "mentor" to such people, that anger will grow into hatred, which will grow into an acceptance that terrorism is justified. Sometimes there's not even face-to-face contact, but only e-mails and chats.
IMO, *that* is what Al-Qaida is: lots of small groups of like-minded angry young Muslims (read: kids), with a few diabolical mentors. When they do their deeds, "Al-Qaida" claims responsibility, because these youths want to be associated with their heroes. OBL may not be directly responsible, he may not have pulled the strings directly, but his influence is still there.
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