Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in Yemen
and Saudi Arabia
. It was named for al-Qaeda
, and says it is subordinate to that group and its now-deceased leader Osama bin Laden
, a Saudi citizen whose father was born in Yemen. It is an example of the many affiliates, or "franchises," that emerged due to weakening central leadership.
. AQAP was formed in January 2009 from a merger of al Qaeda's Yemeni and Saudi branches. The Saudi group had been effectively suppressed by the Saudi government, forcing its members to seek sanctuary in Yemen. It is believed to have several hundred members.
was the main force behind AQAP's decision to transform itself from a regional threat into al-Qaeda's most active affiliate outside Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The percentage of terrorist plots in the West that originated from Pakistan
declined considerably from most of them (at the outset), to 75% in 2007, and to 50% in 2010, as al-Qaeda shifted to Somalia and Yemen.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally designated it a terrorist organization on December 14, 2009. On August 25, 2010, The Washington Post said the CIA believed Yemen's branch of al-Qaida had surpassed its parent organization, Osama bin Laden's core group, as a threat to the U.S. homeland.
On August 26, Yemen claimed that U.S. officials had exaggerated the size and danger of al-Qaeda in Yemen, insisting also that fighting the jihadist network's local branch remained Sanaa's job. A former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden warned of an escalation in fighting between al-Qaida and Yemeni authorities, and predicted the government would need outside intervention to stay in power.
However, Ahmed al-Bahri told the Associated Press
that attacks by al-Qaida in southern Yemen was an indication of its increasing strength.
Al Qaeda was responsible for the USS Cole bombing
in October 2000 in the southern port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. sailors. In 2002, an al Qaeda attack damaged a French supertanker in the Gulf of Aden
.
The Global Terrorism Database
attributes the 2004 Khobar massacre to the group. In this guise, it is also known as "The Jerusalem Squadron".
In addition to a number of attacks in Saudi Arabia, and the kidnap and murder of Paul Johnson
in Riyadh
in 2004, the group is suspected in connection with a bombing in Doha
, Qatar
, in March 2005. For a chronology of recent Islamist militant attacks in Saudi Arabia, see Insurgency in Saudi Arabia
.
In the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad
, formerly known as Carlos Leon Bledsoe, a Muslim convert who had spent time in Yemen, on June 1, 2009 opened fire with an assault rifle
in a drive-by shooting
on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas
, in a jihad attack. He killed Private William Long, and wounded Private Quinton Ezeagwula. He said that he was affiliated with and had been sent by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
In August 2009, an AQAP suicide bomber tried to kill Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who heads Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign and is a member of the Saudi royal family. In 2009, AQAP also carried out a suicide attack in Yemen that killed four South Korean tourists.
AQAP said it was responsible for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
's attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253
as it approached Detroit on December 25, 2009. In that incident, Abdulmutallab reportedly tried to set off plastic explosive
s sewn to his underwear, but failed to detonate them properly.
On February 8, 2010, deputy leader Said Ali al-Shihri
called for a regional holy war
and blockade
of the Red Sea
to prevent shipments to Israel
. In an audiotape he called upon Somalia
's al-Shabaab militant group for assistance in the blockade. AQAP was behind a suicide bombing aimed at the British ambassador in Yemen in April 2010, and a rocket fired at a British embassy vehicle in October 2010.
The 2010 cargo plane bomb plot was discovered on October 29, 2010, when two explosive-laden packages bound for the United States via cargo planes
were found, based on intelligence received from government intelligence agencies, in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates
. The packages originated from Yemen
, and were addressed to outdated addresses of two Jewish institutions in Chicago, Illinois, one of which was the Congregation Or Chadash
, a LGBT
synagogue
. On October 30, 2010, On November 5, 2010, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took responsibility for the plot. It posted its acceptance of responsibility on a number of radical Islamist websites monitored by the SITE Intelligence Group
and the NEFA Foundation, and wrote: "We will continue to strike blows against American interests and the interest of America's allies." It also claimed responsibility for the crash
of a UPS Boeing 747-400
cargo plane in Dubai on September 3; U.S. and United Arab Emirates investigators had said they had not found any evidence of terrorist involvement in that incident. The statement continued: "since both operations were successful, we intend to spread the idea to our mujahedeen brothers in the world and enlarge the circle of its application to include civilian aircraft in the West as well as cargo aircraft." American authorities had said they believed that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind the plot. Officials in the United Kingdom and the United States believe that it is most likely that the bombs were designed to destroy the planes carrying them.
In November 2010 the group announced a strategy, called "Operation Hemorrhage", that it said was designed to capitalize on the "security phobia that is sweeping America." The program would call for a large number of inexpensive, small-scale attacks against United States interests with the intent of weakening the U.S. economy.
The group also publishes the online magazines Voice of Jihad
and Inspire
.
A CIA targeted killing
drone strike killed Kamal Derwish, an American citizen, and a group of al-Qaida operatives in Yemen in November 2002. Drones became shorthand in Yemen for a weak government allowing foreign forces to have their way.
On September 30, 2011, a U.S. drone attack in Yemen resulted in the death of Anwar al-Awlaki
, the group's leader, and Samir Khan
, the editor of Inspire
, its English-language magazine. Both were U.S. citizens.
, was announced as the leader of AQAP. He was once a close associate of bin Laden. Another prisoner, Qassim al-Raimi, became the AQAP military commander and the third-highest-ranking figure in the group. Analysts credit his talent for innovation, organizational skills, and ability to recruit for establishing a powerful, cohesive unit.
He has also been able to take advantage of Yemen’s "slow collapse into near-anarchy. Widespread corruption, growing poverty and internal fragmentation have helped make Yemen a breeding ground for terror." Yemeni security officials announced that al-Raimi and five other al-Qaida operatives were killed in an airstrike on January 16, 2010.
The next year, Wuhayshi made Said Ali al-Shihri
his deputy after he was released from six years' incarceration in Guantanamo Bay in December 2007 to a Saudi rehabilitation program, from which he disappeared. Another Guantanamo detainee released to a Saudi rehabilitation program, Ibrahim Suleiman al-Rubaysh, also disappeared and is now described as the mufti
, or theological guide, to AQAP. Anwar al-Awlaki
also plays a crucial role for AQAP.
Gregory Johnsen, of Princeton University
, an expert on Yemen, said there was evidence that al-Qa'ida was building a powerful support base among the tribes, even marrying into local tribes. Another Yemeni analyst, Barak Barfi, discounted claims that marriage between the militant group and Yemeni tribes is a widespread practice, though he agrees that the bulk of AQAP members hail from the tribes.
Reportedly, as many as 20 Islamist British nationals traveled to Yemen in 2009 to be trained by AQAP.
The following is a list of people who have been purported to be AQAP members. Most, but not all, are or were Saudi nationals. Roughly half have appeared on Saudi "most wanted" lists. In the left column is the rank of each member in the original 2003 list of the 26 most wanted.
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. It was named for al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
, and says it is subordinate to that group and its now-deceased leader Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, a Saudi citizen whose father was born in Yemen. It is an example of the many affiliates, or "franchises," that emerged due to weakening central leadership.
Ideology and formation
Like al-Qaeda, it opposes the Al Saud monarchyMonarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
. AQAP was formed in January 2009 from a merger of al Qaeda's Yemeni and Saudi branches. The Saudi group had been effectively suppressed by the Saudi government, forcing its members to seek sanctuary in Yemen. It is believed to have several hundred members.
Transformation into active al-Qaeda affiliate
According to U.S. counter-terrorism officials, Anwar al-AwlakiAnwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
was the main force behind AQAP's decision to transform itself from a regional threat into al-Qaeda's most active affiliate outside Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The percentage of terrorist plots in the West that originated from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
declined considerably from most of them (at the outset), to 75% in 2007, and to 50% in 2010, as al-Qaeda shifted to Somalia and Yemen.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton formally designated it a terrorist organization on December 14, 2009. On August 25, 2010, The Washington Post said the CIA believed Yemen's branch of al-Qaida had surpassed its parent organization, Osama bin Laden's core group, as a threat to the U.S. homeland.
On August 26, Yemen claimed that U.S. officials had exaggerated the size and danger of al-Qaeda in Yemen, insisting also that fighting the jihadist network's local branch remained Sanaa's job. A former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden warned of an escalation in fighting between al-Qaida and Yemeni authorities, and predicted the government would need outside intervention to stay in power.
However, Ahmed al-Bahri 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 attacks by al-Qaida in southern Yemen was an indication of its increasing strength.
Activities
Yemen played an early role in al-Qaeda's history, as it is Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland. Al Qaeda was active in Yemen well before the Saudi and Yemeni branches merged.USS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
in October 2000 in the southern port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. sailors. In 2002, an al Qaeda attack damaged a French supertanker in the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
.
The Global Terrorism Database
Global Terrorism Database
The Global Terrorism Database is an open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 through 2008 . The GTD includes systematically collected data on domestic as well as international terrorist attacks and now includes more than 87,000 cases...
attributes the 2004 Khobar massacre to the group. In this guise, it is also known as "The Jerusalem Squadron".
In addition to a number of attacks in Saudi Arabia, and the kidnap and murder of Paul Johnson
Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.
Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. was an American helicopter engineer who lived in Saudi Arabia. He was a native of both Stafford and Eagleswood, New Jersey...
in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
in 2004, the group is suspected in connection with a bombing in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, in March 2005. For a chronology of recent Islamist militant attacks in Saudi Arabia, see Insurgency in Saudi Arabia
Insurgency in Saudi Arabia
Terrorism in Saudi Arabia is unleashed by radical Islamic fighters. Their targets include foreign civilians—mainly Westerners affiliated with its oil-based economy—as well as Saudi civilians and security forces. Anti-Western attacks have occurred in Saudi Arabia dating back to 1995.-Background:The...
.
In the 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
The 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Leon Bledsoe, opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a...
, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad
2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting
The 2009 Little Rock recruiting office shooting took place on June 1, 2009, when Muslim convert Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, aka Carlos Leon Bledsoe, opened fire with a rifle in a drive-by shooting on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a...
, formerly known as Carlos Leon Bledsoe, a Muslim convert who had spent time in Yemen, on June 1, 2009 opened fire with an assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
in a drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
on soldiers in front of a United States military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, in a jihad attack. He killed Private William Long, and wounded Private Quinton Ezeagwula. He said that he was affiliated with and had been sent by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
In August 2009, an AQAP suicide bomber tried to kill Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who heads Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign and is a member of the Saudi royal family. In 2009, AQAP also carried out a suicide attack in Yemen that killed four South Korean tourists.
AQAP said it was responsible for Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a suspected terrorist who attempted to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on December 25,...
's attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was an international passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, United States...
as it approached Detroit on December 25, 2009. In that incident, Abdulmutallab reportedly tried to set off plastic explosive
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
s sewn to his underwear, but failed to detonate them properly.
On February 8, 2010, deputy leader Said Ali al-Shihri
Said Ali al-Shihri
Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri was a Saudi Arabian deputy leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and possibly involved in the kidnappings and murders of foreigners in Yemen...
called for a regional holy war
Holy war
Holy war may refer to:* A religious war led with an exceptionally high grade of religious feeling* The Crusades, 11th, 12th, and 13th-century religiously sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Christian Europe against the Muslim Middle East....
and blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
of the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
to prevent shipments to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. In an audiotape he called upon 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...
's al-Shabaab militant group for assistance in the blockade. AQAP was behind a suicide bombing aimed at the British ambassador in Yemen in April 2010, and a rocket fired at a British embassy vehicle in October 2010.
The 2010 cargo plane bomb plot was discovered on October 29, 2010, when two explosive-laden packages bound for the United States via cargo planes
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
were found, based on intelligence received from government intelligence agencies, in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. The packages originated from Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and were addressed to outdated addresses of two Jewish institutions in Chicago, Illinois, one of which was the Congregation Or Chadash
Congregation Or Chadash
-References:*Brody, Jennifer. , j., September 5, 1997.*Byrne, John; Hinkel, Dan. , Chicago Tribune, October 30, 2010.*, Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame website. Accessed November 7, 2010....
, a LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
. On October 30, 2010, On November 5, 2010, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took responsibility for the plot. It posted its acceptance of responsibility on a number of radical Islamist websites monitored by the SITE Intelligence Group
SITE Institute
The Search for International Terrorist Entities Intelligence Group is an organization that tracks the online activity of terrorist organizations. The SITE Institute was founded in 2002 by Rita Katz and Josh Devon, who had left the Investigative Project...
and the NEFA Foundation, and wrote: "We will continue to strike blows against American interests and the interest of America's allies." It also claimed responsibility for the crash
UPS Airlines Flight 6
UPS Airlines Flight 6 was a cargo flight operated by UPS Airlines. On 3 September 2010, a Boeing 747-400 flying the route between Dubai International Airport and Cologne Bonn Airport crashed close to Dubai airport, killing the two crew members. The aircraft had departed Dubai International...
of a UPS Boeing 747-400
Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
cargo plane in Dubai on September 3; U.S. and United Arab Emirates investigators had said they had not found any evidence of terrorist involvement in that incident. The statement continued: "since both operations were successful, we intend to spread the idea to our mujahedeen brothers in the world and enlarge the circle of its application to include civilian aircraft in the West as well as cargo aircraft." American authorities had said they believed that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was behind the plot. Officials in the United Kingdom and the United States believe that it is most likely that the bombs were designed to destroy the planes carrying them.
In November 2010 the group announced a strategy, called "Operation Hemorrhage", that it said was designed to capitalize on the "security phobia that is sweeping America." The program would call for a large number of inexpensive, small-scale attacks against United States interests with the intent of weakening the U.S. economy.
The group also publishes the online magazines Voice of Jihad
Voice of Jihad
Voice of Jihad was an online journal published by the Saudi branch of al Qaeda between 2004 and 2007.An April 27, 2005, edition of Voice of Jihad included an article asking sympathizers not to appropriate the term "Voice of Jihad" for their own publications.An issue was published in February 2007...
and Inspire
Inspire (magazine)
Inspire is an English language online magazine reported to be published by the organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . The use of the magazine is to increase the availability of their message without challenges to their value system. The magazine is one of the many ways AQAP uses the...
.
U.S. drone attacks
The White House, in an effort to increase the pressure on al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, is considering adding the CIA's armed Predator drones to the fight, two U.S. officials said. The drones are among CIA resources that could be assigned to an existing mission by U.S. special operations forces. The official said such options were in the planning stages, and would be put into effect only with the cooperation of the Yemeni leadership in Sanaa.A CIA targeted killing
Targeted killing
Targeted killing is the deliberate, specific targeting and killing, by a government or its agents, of a supposed terrorist or of a supposed "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody...
drone strike killed Kamal Derwish, an American citizen, and a group of al-Qaida operatives in Yemen in November 2002. Drones became shorthand in Yemen for a weak government allowing foreign forces to have their way.
On September 30, 2011, a U.S. drone attack in Yemen resulted in the death of Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
, the group's leader, and Samir Khan
Samir Khan
Samir ibn Zafar Khan was the Pakistani American editor and publisher of Inspire magazine, an English language online magazine reported to be published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , in which he authored articles such as "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom"...
, the editor of Inspire
Inspire (magazine)
Inspire is an English language online magazine reported to be published by the organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . The use of the magazine is to increase the availability of their message without challenges to their value system. The magazine is one of the many ways AQAP uses the...
, its English-language magazine. Both were U.S. citizens.
Alleged members
In February 2006, 23 prisoners suspected of being al-Qaeda members escaped from a Yemeni high-security prison, reportedly with the aid of some Yemeni security forces. One of the prisoners, Naser al-WuhayshiNasir al-Wuhayshi
Nasir Abdel Karim al-Wuhayshi , alias Abu Basir, was a citizen of Yemen and a senior leader of Islamist militant group Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula . He once served as Osama bin Laden's secretary and presided over the January 2009 merger of the Saudi Arabian and Yemeni splinters of Al Qaeda...
, was announced as the leader of AQAP. He was once a close associate of bin Laden. Another prisoner, Qassim al-Raimi, became the AQAP military commander and the third-highest-ranking figure in the group. Analysts credit his talent for innovation, organizational skills, and ability to recruit for establishing a powerful, cohesive unit.
He has also been able to take advantage of Yemen’s "slow collapse into near-anarchy. Widespread corruption, growing poverty and internal fragmentation have helped make Yemen a breeding ground for terror." Yemeni security officials announced that al-Raimi and five other al-Qaida operatives were killed in an airstrike on January 16, 2010.
The next year, Wuhayshi made Said Ali al-Shihri
Said Ali al-Shihri
Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri was a Saudi Arabian deputy leader of the militant group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and possibly involved in the kidnappings and murders of foreigners in Yemen...
his deputy after he was released from six years' incarceration in Guantanamo Bay in December 2007 to a Saudi rehabilitation program, from which he disappeared. Another Guantanamo detainee released to a Saudi rehabilitation program, Ibrahim Suleiman al-Rubaysh, also disappeared and is now described as the mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
, or theological guide, to AQAP. Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
also plays a crucial role for AQAP.
Gregory Johnsen, of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, an expert on Yemen, said there was evidence that al-Qa'ida was building a powerful support base among the tribes, even marrying into local tribes. Another Yemeni analyst, Barak Barfi, discounted claims that marriage between the militant group and Yemeni tribes is a widespread practice, though he agrees that the bulk of AQAP members hail from the tribes.
Reportedly, as many as 20 Islamist British nationals traveled to Yemen in 2009 to be trained by AQAP.
The following is a list of people who have been purported to be AQAP members. Most, but not all, are or were Saudi nationals. Roughly half have appeared on Saudi "most wanted" lists. In the left column is the rank of each member in the original 2003 list of the 26 most wanted.
| English | Arabic | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yousif Saleh Fahd al-'Uyayri (or Ayyiri, etc.) | يوسف صالح فهد العييري | first operational leader of AQAP, writer, and webmaster, killed June 2003 in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World... |
|
| 3 | Khalid Ali bin Ali Hajj | خالد علي بن علي حاج | leader, killed in Riyadh Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a... March or April 2004 |
| 1 | Abdulaziz Issa Abdul-Muhsin al-Muqrin | عبد العزيز عيسى عبد المحسن المقرن | leader, killed in Riyadh 18 June 2004 |
| 5 | Saleh Muhammad 'Audhuallah al-'Alawi al-Oufi | صالح محمد عوض الله العلوي العوفي | leader, killed 17 or 18 August 2005 in Madinah |
| 2 | Rakan Muhsin Mohammed al-Saikhan Rakan Muhsin Mohammad Alsaykhan Rakan Muhsin Mohammad Alsaykhan was a terrorist who participated in a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia. His name appeared in the Saudi list of most wanted suspected terrorists. He died of wounds sustained in the April 12, 2004 incident in the Al-Fayha suburb in Riyadh... |
راكان محسن محمد الصيخان | killed 12 April 2004 in Riyadh |
| 7 | Saud Hamoud 'Abid al-Qatini al-'Otaibi Saud Hamoud 'Abid al-Qatini al-'Otaibi Saud Hamoud 'Abid al-Qatini al-'Otaibi was a leader and the senior member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula after the death of former leader Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin, Al-Otaibi was responsible for bombings, including the attack on Al-Mohaya housing compound in Riyadh in 2003, Al-Otaibi was also... |
سعود حمود عبيد القطيني العتيبي | senior member, one of 15 killed in a 3-day battle in Ar Rass Ar Rass Rass is a Saudi Arabian town, located in the Al Qassim Province. It lies southwest of Buraydah, the capital of the province and also north of Riyadh, the national capital.... April 2005 |
| 4 | Abdul Kareem Al-Majati | عبد الكريم المجاطي | Moroccan, killed with Saud al-Otaibi at Ar Rass, was wanted in the USA under the name Karim El Mejjati |
| 6 | Ibrahim Muhammad Abdullah al-Rais | إبراهيم محمد عبدا لله الريس | killed 8 December 2003 in Riyadh |
| 8 | Ahmad Abdul-Rahman Saqr al-Fadhli Ahmad Abdul-Rahman Saqr al-Fadhli Ahmad Abdul-Rahman Saqr al-Fadhli was a citizen of Saudi Arabia.He first became notable in 2003, when the government of Saudi Arabia listed him on the 2003 version of its Saudi list of most wanted terrorists.... |
أحمد عبدالرحمن صقر الفضلي | killed 22 April 2004 in Jeddah Jeddah Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The... |
| 9 | Sultan Jubran Sultan al-Qahtani alias Zubayr Al-Rimi Zubayr Al-Rimi Al-Rimi's wife was arrested in the beginning of June along with the wife of al-Faqasi and two other women. She was turned over to his father for safekeeping, who sought to return her to Morocco.... |
سلطان جبران سلطان القحطاني | q.v., killed 23 September 2003 in Jizan Jizan -Ethnography:The inhabitants of Jazan, are made up of Arabs. Islam is the religion of almost the totality of the inhabitants of the city and the province.-External links:*http://www.jazan.gov.sa* *http://krwetatnt.com/vb/... |
| 10 | Abdullah Saud Al-Siba'i | عبد الله سعود السباعي | killed 29 December 2004 |
| 11 | Faisal Abdul-Rahman Abdullah al-Dakhil | فيصل عبدالرحمن عبدالله الدخيل | killed with al-Muqrin |
| 12 | Faris al-Zaharani Faris Ahmed Jamaan al-Showeel al-Zahrani Faris Ahmed Jamaan al-Showeel al-Zahrani was on Saudi Arabia's list of 26 'most-wanted' suspected terrorists.-Life:Growing up in the Al-Baha region, al-Zahrani attended the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University where he studied law, while working as an Imam.-Arrest:He was arrested in Abha by... |
فارس آل شويل الزهراني | ideologue, captured 5 August 2004 in Abha Abha Abha is the capital of Asir province in Saudi Arabia. It is situated at 2,200 metres above sea level in the fertile mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia near the National Park of Asir. Its mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination for Saudis... |
| 13 | Khalid Mobarak Habeeb-Allah al-Qurashi | خالد مبارك حبيب الله القرشي | killed 22 April 2004 in Jeddah |
| 14 | Mansoor Muhammad Ahmad Faqeeh | منصور محمد أحمد فقيه | surrendered 30 December 2003 in Najran Najran Najran , formerly known as Aba as Sa'ud, is a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen. It is the capital of Najran Province. Designated a New town, Najran is one of the fastest-growing cities in the kingdom; its population has risen from 47,500 in 1974 and 90,983 in 1992 to... |
| 15 | 'Issa Saad Muhammad bin 'Ushan | عيسى سعد محمد بن عوشن | ideologue, killed 20 July 2004 in Riyadh |
| 16 | Talib Saud Abdullah Al Talib | طالب سعود عبدالله آل طالب | at large; (last of the original 26) |
| 17 | Mustafa Ibrahim Muhammad Mubaraki | مصطفى إبراهيم محمد مباركي | killed 22 April 2004 in Jeddah |
| 18 | Abdul-Majiid Mohammed al-Mani' | عبد المجيد محمد المنيع | ideologue, killed 12 October 2004 in Riyadh |
| 19 | Nasir Rashid Nasir Al-Rashid | ناصر راشد ناصر الراشد | killed 12 April 2004 in Riyadh |
| Sultan bin Bajad Al-Otaibi | سلطان بن بجاد العتيبي | spokesman and writer for al-Qaeda, killed 28 or 29 December 2004 | |
| 20 | Bandar Abdul-Rahman Abdullah al-Dakhil | بندر عبدالرحمن عبدالله الدخيل | killed December 2004 |
| 21 | Othman Hadi Al Maqboul Almardy al-'Amari | عثمان هادي آل مقبول العمري | recanted, under an amnesty deal, 28 June 2004 in Namas |
| 22 | Talal A'nbar Ahmad 'Anbari | طلال عنبر أحمد عنبري | killed 22 April 2004 in Jeddah |
| 23 | 'Amir Muhsin Moreef Al Zaidan Al-Shihri | عامر محسن مريف آل زيدان الشهري | killed 6 November 2003 in Riyadh |
| 24 | Abdullah Muhammad Rashid al-Rashoud | عبد الله محمد راشد الرشود | q.v., ideologue, killed May or June 2005 in Iraq |
| 25 | Abdulrahman Mohammad Mohammad Yazji Abdulrahman Mohammad Mohammad Yazji Abdulrahman Mohammad Mohammad Yazji was a citizen of Saudi Arabia. In 2003 the government of Saudi Arabia listed him on its Saudi list of most wanted terrorists.He was killed in a shootout with Saudi security officials in April 2004.... |
عبدالرحمن محمد محمد يازجي | killed 6 April 2005 |
| 26 | Hosain Mohammad Alhasaki | حسين محمد الحسكي | Moroccan, held in Belgium |
| Turki N. M. al-Dandani | تركي ناصر مشعل الدندني | cell leader, a former # 1 most wanted, died by suicide July 2003 in al-Jawf Al Jawf Al Jawf may refer to:* Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia, a city known in Saudi Arabia for its major prison* Al Jawf Province, a province of Saudi Arabia* Al Jawf Governorate, a governorate of Yemen* Al Jawf, Libya, a city and municipality in Libya... |
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| Ibrahim bin Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad al-Muzaini | إبراهيم بن عبد العزيز بن محمد المزين | killed with Khalid Ali Hajj | |
| Abdul-Rahman Mohammed Jubran al-Yazji | عبدالكريم محمد جبران اليازجي | killed 2 June 2004 in Ta'if | |
| Mohammed Othman Abdullah al-Waleedi al-Shuhri | محمد عثمان عبدالله الوليدي الشهري | ||
| Mansour Faqeeh | منصور فقيه | surrendered | |
| Hamid Fahd Abdullah al-Salmi al-Shamri | حمد فهد عبدالله الأسلمي الشمري | ||
| Ahmad Nasser Abdullah al-Dakhil | أحمد ناصر عبدالله الدخيل | (dead) | |
| Turki bin Fuheid al-Mutairi a/k/a Fawaz al-Nashimi | تركي بن فيهد المطيري | killed with al-Muqrin | |
| Jubran Ali Hakmi | جبران علي حكمي | ||
| Hani Said Ahmed Abdul-Karim al-Ghamdi | هاني سعيد أحمد عبد الكريم الغامدي | ||
| Ali Abdul-Rahman al-Ghamdi | علي عبد الرحمن الغامدي | surrendered 26 June 2003 | |
| Bandar bin Abdul-Rahman al-Ghamdi | بندر عبد الرحمن الغامدي | captured September 2003 in Yemen and extradited to KSA Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World... |
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| Fawaz Yahya al-Rabi'i Fawaz al-Rabeiee Fawaz Yahya al-Rabeiee was a al-Qaeda terrorist, sentenced to death in 2004 by a Yemeni court for his part in the 2002 attack on the French tanker Limburg... |
فواز يحيى الربيعي | q.v., killed 1 October 2006 in Yemen | |
| Abdul-Rahman Mansur Jabarah | عبدالرحمن منصور جبارة | "Canadian-Kuwaiti of Iraqi origin", dead according to al-Qaeda; brother of Kuwaiti-Canadian Mohamed Mansour Jabarah | |
| Adnan bin Abdullah al-Omari | captured somewhere outside KSA, extradited to KSA November 2005 | ||
| Abdul-Rahman al-Mutib | killed in al Qasim Al Qasim Al-Qassim Province ), also spelled Al-Qaseem, Al-Qasim, Qassim, or Gassim, is one of the thirteen administrative provinces of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of the country, and almost in the center of the Arabian Peninsula. It has a population of 1,016,756 and an area of 65,000 km²... December 2005 |
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| Muhammad bin Abdul-Rahman al-Suwailmi, alias Abu Mus'ab al-Najdi | محمد بن عبد الرحمن السويلمي | killed in al Qasim Al Qasim Al-Qassim Province ), also spelled Al-Qaseem, Al-Qasim, Qassim, or Gassim, is one of the thirteen administrative provinces of Saudi Arabia. Located at the heart of the country, and almost in the center of the Arabian Peninsula. It has a population of 1,016,756 and an area of 65,000 km²... December 2005 |
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| According to Saudi authorities, these 12 died or were killed while committing the Riyadh compound bombings Riyadh compound bombings The Riyadh compound bombings took place on May 12, 2003, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Altogether, 35 people were killed, and over 160 wounded. A smaller campaign of insurgency in Saudi Arabia had started in November 2000 when car bombings were carried out targeting and killing individual expatriates in... on 12 May 2003. Several were previously wanted. |
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| Khaled Mohammad Muslim Al-Juhani | خالد محمد مسلم الجهني | leader of this group | |
| Abdul-Karim Mohammed Jubran Yazji | عبد الكريم محمد جبران اليازجي | ||
| Mohammed Othman Abdullah Al-Walidi Al-Shehri | ومحمد عثمان عبد الله الوليدي الشهري | ||
| Hani Saeed Ahmad Al Abdul-Karim Al-Ghamdi | هاني سعيد أحمد عبد الكريم الغامدي | ||
| Jubran Ali Ahmad Hakami Khabrani | جبران علي أحمد حكمي خبراني | ||
| Khaled bin Ibrahim Mahmoud | خالد بن إبراهيم محمود | called "Baghdadi" | |
| Mehmas bin Mohammed Mehmas Al-Hawashleh Al-Dosari | محماس بن محمد محماس الهواشلة الدوسري | ||
| Mohammed bin Shadhaf Ali Al-Mahzoum Al-Shehri | محمد بن شظاف علي آل محزوم الشهري | ||
| Hazem Mohammed Saeed | حازم محمد سعيد | called "Kashmiri" | |
| Majed Abdullah Sa'ad bin Okail | ماجد عبدالله سعد بن عكيل | ||
| Bandar bin Abdul-Rahman Menawer Al-Rahimi Al-Mutairi | بندر بن عبد الرحمن منور الرحيمي المطيري | ||
| Abdullah Farres bin Jufain Al-Rahimi Al-Mutairi | عبدالله فارس بن جفين الرحيمي المطيري | ||
| Abdullah Hassan Al Aseery Abdullah Hassan Al Aseery Abdullah Hassan al-Asiri was a Saudi Arabian member of al Qaeda. His name is an ascription to the 'Asir Province of Saudi Arabia... |
عبد الله حسن عسيري | Died trying to assassinate a Saudi prince in October 2009. | |
| The following five were reported killed in Dammam Dammam Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the most oil-rich region in the world. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province and several government departments are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province and third largest in Saudi... in early September 2005. |
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| Zaid Saad Zaid al-Samari | a former most wanted | ||
| Saleh Mansour Mohsen al-Fereidi al-Harbi | |||
| Sultan Saleh Hussan al-Haseri | |||
| Naif Farhan Jalal al-Jehaishi al-Shammari | |||
| Mohammed Abdul-Rahman Mohammed al-Suwailmi | |||
| Naser Abdel Karim al-Wahishi | Appeared in threatening YouTube YouTube YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos.... video in January 2009, where he claimed to be the group's leader. Killed on August 28, 2011 in southern Yemen. |
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| Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri | Former Guantanamo captive who appeared in threatening YouTube video in January 2009, where he claimed to be the group's deputy leader. | ||
| Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi | Former Guantanamo captive who appeared in the threatening YouTube video in January 2009, and who voluntarily turned himself in to Saudi authorities a month later. | ||
| Abu Hureira Qasm al-Rimi | Appeared in threatening YouTube video in January 2009. Was the group's military chief. Killed in an airstrike on January 15, 2010, in Yemen. | ||
| Ibrahim Hassan Tali al-Asiri | Operative and bomb maker. |
External links
- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Council on Foreign RelationsCouncil on Foreign RelationsThe Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
- AQAP in Yemen, Center for Strategic and International StudiesCenter for Strategic and International StudiesThe Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
(CSIS) - Al-Qa‘ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), U.S. National Counterterrorism CenterNational Counterterrorism CenterThe National Counterterrorism Center is a United States government organization responsible for national and international counterterrorism efforts. It is based in a modern complex near McLean, Virginia called Liberty Crossing...
- “Al-Qaeda” in Yemen: Timeline of Strikes and Statements, Jane Novak, Armies of Liberation, September 21, 2008
- Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 31 October 2010 - Factbox: AQAP, Al Qaeda's Yemen-based wing, ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, 22 March 2011 - Will Yemen protests boost Al Qaeda?, Erik Stier in Sanaa, Christian Science Monitor, 25 March 2011