Ahmad Ibrahim al-Sayyid al-Naggar
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Ibrahim al-Sayyid al-Naggar was a member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. The Jewish lobby group ADL dubbed him the "propaganda chief" of the militant organisation. He was one of 14 people subjected to extraordinary rendition
by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror
.
In 1991, he was sentenced in absentia
to three years imprisonment in the al-Jihad case arising from the assassination of Anwar Sadat
. However, he fled the country in 1993 when Adil al-Sudani
got him a false passport in the name of Abdel Raheem Mohammed Hussein and bought him an October 18 ferry
ticket from Nuwaiba to Jordan
, and told him to wait for a phone call at the Jordan River Hotel in Amman
. When he arrived the next day, he received a call from Mahmud al-Deeb who told him to book a flight four days later to Sanaa, Yemen
to meet with him. When al-Naggar arrived, he was greeted by Ayman al-Zawahiri
and his brother Muhammad al-Zawahiri
, Ahmad Salamah Mabruk, Morgan Salem and Thirwat Shehata
who assured him that al-Jihad took care of its own, and they were glad to see him safe.
In 1994, he was asked to travel to Sudan, and was subsequently met by al-Zawahiri, who asked him to oversee civil organisation of al-Jihad.
In October of the following year, Zawahiri asked him to instead travel to Yemen to oversee civil operations there; but three months later was told to travel with his fake passport in the name of Ahmed Rajab Mohammed, to take a job as a teacher with the Haramain charity in Tirana, Albania. He also led the Centre for Islamic Heritage.
Following the 1996 rise of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, al-Naggar tried to link al-Jihad to the new government, noting their shared ideals.
in an Egyptian military court on October 15, 1997 for the crime of membership in al-Jihad, and possession of weapons. He was ostensibly linked to the 1995 plot to blow up the Khan el-Khalili market
, as well as the assassination of Speaker of Parliament Rifaat el-Mahgoub
in October 1990. The trial was condemned as "unfair" by Amnesty International
.
In 1998, Bary asked al-Naggar to claim asylum in the United Kingdom
, so he could help convince Hani Sibai to support the Algerian GIA
in media communiques.
He was arrested on July 2, 1998 as he stepped off the plane in Cairo, having been deported from Albania with the help of the CIA. His wife was also arrested.
He was tried in the 1999 Returnees from Albania
trial at which he was defended by Montasser el-Zayat
. He was tortured for nine months; locked in a room with water up to his knees 24 hours a day. When taken to SSI
headquarters in Lazughli Square and questioned by Captain Yasir Azzulddin, his hands and feet were tied, as interrogators applied electric shocks to his nipples and penis.
Under torture, al-Naggar admitted that al-Jihad had acquired anthrax
from an unnamed East Asian country for $3,695. He later claimed his confessions were only a result of this torture. He was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment. In November, he was transferred to Tora prison, where Amnesty noted he was at less risk of torture or sudden execution.
Together with the other three Returnees brought from Tirana, his capture and torture were listed as the main reasons for the 1998 United States embassy bombings
.
He was hanged on February 23, 2000 at al-Isti’naf prison, due to the earlier death sentence levied against him.
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
Life
His permanent address was on al-Shaikh al-Husari street in Giza.In 1991, he was sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to three years imprisonment in the al-Jihad case arising from the assassination of Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
. However, he fled the country in 1993 when Adil al-Sudani
Adil al-Sudani
An Islamist militant, Adil al-Sudani was executed by Egypt in 1998 for his part in a plot targeting the Khan-i-Khalili marketplace.In 1993, he had helped Ahmad Ibrahim al-Sayyid al-Naggar escape his prison sentence by ferrying him out of Egypt on a false passport to Amman....
got him a false passport in the name of Abdel Raheem Mohammed Hussein and bought him an October 18 ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
ticket from Nuwaiba to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, and told him to wait for a phone call at the Jordan River Hotel in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
. When he arrived the next day, he received a call from Mahmud al-Deeb who told him to book a flight four days later to Sanaa, Yemen
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
to meet with him. When al-Naggar arrived, he was greeted by Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri is an Egyptian physician, Islamic theologian and current leader of al-Qaeda. He was previously the second and last "emir" of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded Abbud al-Zumar in the latter role when Egyptian authorities sentenced al-Zumar to life...
and his brother Muhammad al-Zawahiri
Muhammad al-Zawahiri
Muhammad Rabee al-Zawahiri was sentenced to death by an Egyptian court, but instead continues to be held and interrogated by Egyptian security forces...
, Ahmad Salamah Mabruk, Morgan Salem and Thirwat Shehata
Thirwat Shehata
Born June 29 1960, Thirwat Salah Shehata was a core member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad.Married to the sister of Mahmoud Jaballah, Shehata served as Jaballah's lawyer in Egypt....
who assured him that al-Jihad took care of its own, and they were glad to see him safe.
In 1994, he was asked to travel to Sudan, and was subsequently met by al-Zawahiri, who asked him to oversee civil organisation of al-Jihad.
In October of the following year, Zawahiri asked him to instead travel to Yemen to oversee civil operations there; but three months later was told to travel with his fake passport in the name of Ahmed Rajab Mohammed, to take a job as a teacher with the Haramain charity in Tirana, Albania. He also led the Centre for Islamic Heritage.
Following the 1996 rise of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, al-Naggar tried to link al-Jihad to the new government, noting their shared ideals.
Capture, trials, execution
He was sentenced in death in absentiaIn absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
in an Egyptian military court on October 15, 1997 for the crime of membership in al-Jihad, and possession of weapons. He was ostensibly linked to the 1995 plot to blow up the Khan el-Khalili market
Khan el-Khalili
thumb|200px|An old chandeliers shop at Khan el-KhaliliKhan el-Khalili is a major souk in the Islamic district of Cairo. The bazaar district is one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike.-History:...
, as well as the assassination of Speaker of Parliament Rifaat el-Mahgoub
Rifaat el-Mahgoub
Rifaat el-Mahgoub was an important Egyptian politician, speaker of the Egyptian Parliament, and a member of the ruling National Democratic Party....
in October 1990. The trial was condemned as "unfair" by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
.
In 1998, Bary asked al-Naggar to claim asylum in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, so he could help convince Hani Sibai to support the Algerian GIA
GIA
-Persons:*Gia Allemand , model*Gia Carangi , model*Gia Carides , actress*Gia Darling , transsexual adult film actress*Gia Farrell , singer*Gia Johnson , model*Gia Long , Vietnamese Emperor...
in media communiques.
He was arrested on July 2, 1998 as he stepped off the plane in Cairo, having been deported from Albania with the help of the CIA. His wife was also arrested.
He was tried in the 1999 Returnees from Albania
Returnees from Albania
The case of the Returnees from Albania was a massive criminal trial in an Egyptian military court from February to April 1999. The trial is one of the principal sources of information about Sunni terrorist groups in the 1990s, especially al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya and its offshoot Egyptian Islamic...
trial at which he was defended by Montasser el-Zayat
Montasser el-Zayat
Montasser el-Zayat or Muntasir al-Zayyat is an Egyptian lawyer and author whose former clients, according to press reports, included Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. He has written a book entitled Ayman al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him, which is strongly critical of al-Zawahiri. El-Zayat...
. He was tortured for nine months; locked in a room with water up to his knees 24 hours a day. When taken to SSI
SSI
- Economics :* Standing Settlement Instructions, payment processing and settlement information about financial institutions* Strategic Sustainable Investing, an investment strategy that recognizes financial value in transitional leadership towards sustainability...
headquarters in Lazughli Square and questioned by Captain Yasir Azzulddin, his hands and feet were tied, as interrogators applied electric shocks to his nipples and penis.
Under torture, al-Naggar admitted that al-Jihad had acquired anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
from an unnamed East Asian country for $3,695. He later claimed his confessions were only a result of this torture. He was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment. In November, he was transferred to Tora prison, where Amnesty noted he was at less risk of torture or sudden execution.
Together with the other three Returnees brought from Tirana, his capture and torture were listed as the main reasons for the 1998 United States embassy bombings
1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
.
He was hanged on February 23, 2000 at al-Isti’naf prison, due to the earlier death sentence levied against him.