"Fear is still the factor Al-Qaeda," from the Stop the Presses Department via the [1] StarOnline, with thanks to Nicolei:

ISLAMABAD: Being big in al-Qaeda is clearly not what it used to be, but the fear factor is.

While al-Qaeda's ability to inspire like-minded Islamist groups has grown, its own core members haven't succeeded in carrying off a major overseas attack since Sept 11, 2001....

"The inner core of al-Qaeda is intact, but as a group it's been degraded. Its survival depends on associated groups," said Rohan Gunaratna, a Singapore based security analyst and author of Inside al-Qaeda: Global Network of Terror.

"Linked to al-Qaeda" has become a catch-all phrase to describe any group that carries out an attack, and either declares admiration for Osama, announces a hitherto unheard of or distant affiliation to al-Qaeda, or has bona fide ties....

Whether or not there is an actual link is unimportant. The ideological connection is all-important.