With Saif al-Adl under Iran house arrest, it is possible for Iran to just use him. Instead of seeking refuge to Pakistan like Osama post 9/11, he and some went west to Iran, which we can see now, a better place for hiding than Pakistan.
Started during Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, when many people went to Afghanistan, even Grand Mufti of Saudi, Bin Baz, also encouraged people to went there. Saudi, Filipino, Egyptian, Indonesian, you name it, all went there. US and western world, including Indonesia with Operasi Bubat Mabur backed them to fought the Soviets. CIA with the help of Pakistani ISI more heavily chose the most radical of the groups there, especially located in Af-Pak region. British chose a more friendly ally in Panjshir.
Makhtab al-Khidamah was where many foreigners were in Afghanistan. In Egypt, place where political Islam was rampant at the 20th century, started by the influence of Hasan Al-Banna with its IM, they experienced a blow from the killing of Sadat. No joke, Egypt was full of history during the Cold War era. Sadat was killed because of his more friendly attitude with Israel. Some of those Egyptian also went to joined the MAK, Ayman al-Zawahiri and this Saif al-Adl two of the examples. Because of Egyptian heavy exposure to political Islam, not weird if they were more political or have more spirit than the others, that some even said Azzam was killed by Egyptian clique of the jihadists in Afghanistan-Pakistan.
Then export the influence everywhere, like Saif al-Adl effort to started movement in Somalia, became Al-Shabbab. Some Indonesian and others Southeast Asian with its Jemaah Islamiyah or Abu Sayyaf.
One kind of the political Islam, the armed one and rooted from 80s Afghanistan. The other one is different, even they could see the armed one with cynical, rooted from Egypt also combined with Najdi (Salafi), the unarmed version of it. Al-Islah of UAE, Sahwah of Saudi, or pengajian-pengajian kampus or Tarbiyah during the 70s-80s of Indonesia, that its teaching now even become the mainstream. Eventhough armed, Hamas is closer with the unarmed version of it.