Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki
Encyclopedia
Omar Shafik Hammami (born May 6, 1984), known by the pseudonym Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki , is an American member of the Somali Islamist paramilitary group al-Shabaab.
, a small city outside of Mobile
where he graduated from Daphne High School
. His father was a Syrian-born Muslim, while his mother was an American Southern Baptist
. Hammami began to identify as a Muslim in high school and over time grew increasingly religious, becoming a Salafi
in college. He dropped out of college in 2002, and in 2004 he moved to Toronto
, Canada
; where he married a Somali-Canadian woman.
In June 2005 the couple moved to Alexandria, Egypt
, where their daughter was born. Through an internet forum, Hammami met Daniel Maldonado
, who was also living in Egypt, and the two secretly made plans to leave for Somalia
. Without telling his family, Hammami traveled to Somalia in November 2006 and apparently joined al-Shabaab soon after.
. In a January 2008 letter, Al-Amriki explained al-Shabaab’s goal to establish an Islamic caliphate
“from East to West after removing the occupier and killing the apostates
.”
In 2007, Hammami was indicted
in the Southern District of Alabama on terrorism violations. A superseding indictment was returned against Hammami in 2009 on terrorism violations for leaving the United States to join al-Shabaab. On December 13, 2007, a federal warrant
for his arrest was issued by the United States District Court, Southern District of Alabama.
He was featured in a 31-minute video released March 31, 2009, and in recruitment footage posted to a Somali terrorist website on April 5, 2009, saying “The only reason we are staying here, away from our families, away from the cities, away from candy bars [and] all these other things is because we are waiting to meet with the enemy…If you can encourage more of your children, and more of your neighbors, and anyone around you to send people … to this Jihad, it would be a great asset for us”. In the video, al-Amriki talks about preparations for an ambush and his attempt to “try to blow up as many of their vehicles as we can and kill as many of them as we can.” After the ambush, al-Amriki praises a killed fighter. American authorities have claimed that other Somali-Americans from Minnesota also appear in the video released on March 31. One of the Americans that was apparently featured in the video is Shirwa Ahmed, who was among four people to carry out suicide attacks against the United Nations
compound, the Ethiopian Consulate and the presidential palace in Hargeisa.
The two videos indicated that he had become a prominent figure for al-Shabaab in its effort to recruit Muslims in the West to Jihad.
On July 8, 2009, an audio message from Abu Mansur al-Amriki was released on jihadi websites. Billed as a "response" to U.S. president Barack Obama
's June 2009 Cairo speech to "the Muslim world," the audio message warned Muslims against being taken in by Obama's "charisma." In the message, al-Amriki also affirmed al-Shabaab’s allegiance to Al Qaeda and justified the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
On April 15, 2010, another video featuring Hammami entitled "Festival For the Children of the Martyrs," appeared, showing adults and children at a community center. Hammami and others make speeches in Arabic and Hammami is shown interacting with the children and giving them toy guns.
subsequently told The Associated Press
that Somali officials did not have a body and that the intelligence reports had not yet been confirmed.
The Long War Journal reported on March 15 that Hammami had not been killed as earlier claimed by Somali's defense minister. Hammami subsequently released an Anasheed
song, mocking the claims of his death and taunting the United States to send Predator drones and missiles in order to make him a martyr.
In July 2011 it was reported that Hammami had possibly been killed in a Predator attack in Jubba
, Somalia
.
Early life
Hammami grew up in Daphne, AlabamaDaphne, Alabama
Daphne is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The city is located along I-10, 11 miles east of Mobile and 150 miles southwest of the state capital of Montgomery. The United States Census 2000 lists the population of the city as 16,581 making...
, a small city outside of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
where he graduated from Daphne High School
Daphne High School
Daphne High School is a secondary school located in Daphne, Alabama. The school, which serves grades 9-12, is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools district. Students at the school live in the city of Daphne and its surrounding unincorporated areas and the city of Loxley...
. His father was a Syrian-born Muslim, while his mother was an American Southern Baptist
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
. Hammami began to identify as a Muslim in high school and over time grew increasingly religious, becoming a Salafi
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
in college. He dropped out of college in 2002, and in 2004 he moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; where he married a Somali-Canadian woman.
In June 2005 the couple moved to Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, where their daughter was born. Through an internet forum, Hammami met Daniel Maldonado
Daniel Maldonado
Daniel Maldonado, also known by his adopted Muslim name Daniel Aljughaifi, is a U.S. convert to a fundamentalist Islam who faces charges for an alleged association with terrorism.Maldonado converted to Islam in 2000 in Methuen, Massachusetts....
, who was also living in Egypt, and the two secretly made plans to leave for Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. Without telling his family, Hammami traveled to Somalia in November 2006 and apparently joined al-Shabaab soon after.
Jihadist activities in Somalia
In October 2007, he appeared publicly as "Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki" for the first time, giving an interview for Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
. In a January 2008 letter, Al-Amriki explained al-Shabaab’s goal to establish an Islamic caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
“from East to West after removing the occupier and killing the apostates
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
.”
In 2007, Hammami was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
in the Southern District of Alabama on terrorism violations. A superseding indictment was returned against Hammami in 2009 on terrorism violations for leaving the United States to join al-Shabaab. On December 13, 2007, a federal warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
for his arrest was issued by the United States District Court, Southern District of Alabama.
He was featured in a 31-minute video released March 31, 2009, and in recruitment footage posted to a Somali terrorist website on April 5, 2009, saying “The only reason we are staying here, away from our families, away from the cities, away from candy bars [and] all these other things is because we are waiting to meet with the enemy…If you can encourage more of your children, and more of your neighbors, and anyone around you to send people … to this Jihad, it would be a great asset for us”. In the video, al-Amriki talks about preparations for an ambush and his attempt to “try to blow up as many of their vehicles as we can and kill as many of them as we can.” After the ambush, al-Amriki praises a killed fighter. American authorities have claimed that other Somali-Americans from Minnesota also appear in the video released on March 31. One of the Americans that was apparently featured in the video is Shirwa Ahmed, who was among four people to carry out suicide attacks against the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
compound, the Ethiopian Consulate and the presidential palace in Hargeisa.
The two videos indicated that he had become a prominent figure for al-Shabaab in its effort to recruit Muslims in the West to Jihad.
On July 8, 2009, an audio message from Abu Mansur al-Amriki was released on jihadi websites. Billed as a "response" to U.S. president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's June 2009 Cairo speech to "the Muslim world," the audio message warned Muslims against being taken in by Obama's "charisma." In the message, al-Amriki also affirmed al-Shabaab’s allegiance to Al Qaeda and justified the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
On April 15, 2010, another video featuring Hammami entitled "Festival For the Children of the Martyrs," appeared, showing adults and children at a community center. Hammami and others make speeches in Arabic and Hammami is shown interacting with the children and giving them toy guns.
Reports of death
In March 2011, Somalian government sources reported that Hammami had been killed during fighting in Mogadishu. Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-FaqiAbdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi
Abdihakim Mohamoud Haji-Faqi , also spelled Abdulhakim Mahamud Fiqi, is a Somali diplomat and politician. He was Minister of Defense of Somalia.-Biography:Haji-Faqi hails from the Bay region in southern Somalia. He was previously a diplomat in Canada....
subsequently told The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
that Somali officials did not have a body and that the intelligence reports had not yet been confirmed.
The Long War Journal reported on March 15 that Hammami had not been killed as earlier claimed by Somali's defense minister. Hammami subsequently released an Anasheed
Anasheed
Anasheed , is Islamic vocal music that is either sung a cappella or accompanied by percussion instruments such as the daff...
song, mocking the claims of his death and taunting the United States to send Predator drones and missiles in order to make him a martyr.
In July 2011 it was reported that Hammami had possibly been killed in a Predator attack in Jubba
Jubbada Hoose
Lower Juba is an administrative region in southern Somalia. With its capital at Kismayo, it lies in the Jubaland autonomous region.Lower Juba is bordered by Kenya, the Somalian regions of Gedo, Middle Juba, and the Indian Ocean...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.