Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie
Encyclopedia
Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie ' onMouseout='HidePop("42429")' href="/topics/Qatif">Qatif
, Saudi Arabia
is wanted by the United States
government in connection with the June 25, 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He was indicted by a grand jury
in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
on June 21, 2001 on 46 separate criminal counts including murder for his role in the attack. He was identified as the passenger in the bomb truck, which was driven to the complex by Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil
, and which was then abandoned by both men as they fled to waiting cars minutes before the bomb truck blew up.
Months after his 2001 indictment in the 1996 attack, El-Hoorie, still a U.S. fugitive, was then placed on the initial list of the FBI's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists
, which was released to the public by President Bush
on October 10, 2001.
El-Hoorie is very short at only 157 cm (5 ft 2 in), 59 kg (130 lb). He has a mole
on his face. He is also known as Ali Saed Bin Ali Al-Houri.
He is alleged to be a member of the pro-Iran Saudi Hizballah, or Hizballah Al-Hijaz
, meaning Party of God, being led by Al-Mughassil. The group is one of a number of related Hezbollah organizations operating in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon
, Kuwait
and Bahrain
, among other places, and was outlawed in Saudi Arabia.
In early 1996, Al-Hoorie was part of the small team that began to hide explosives around the Khobar area.
In early June 1996, a tanker truck was purchased by the conspirators, and the indictment names El-Hoorie as one of the men who then spent two weeks converting the truck into a truck bomb. The cell finalized plans on the evening of June 25, 1996, for the attack that night.
When the Datsun signaled that all was clear by blinking its lights, the bomb truck, driven by Al-Mughassil and with El-Hoorie as a passenger, entered the lot and backed up against a fence in front of building # 131. Al-Mughassil and Al-Hoorie then exited the truck and entered the back seat of the Caprice for the getaway, driving away followed by the Datsun. In minutes, a massive explosion sheared the north face off Building 131. 19 American servicemen were killed, and 372 were wounded.
Although rooftop sentries were immediately suspicious of the truck – parked some 25 m (80 ft) from the building – and attempted an evacuation, few escaped. Comparable to 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) of TNT
, the bomb was estimated to be larger than the one that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
a year before, and more than twice as powerful as the 1983 bomb used at the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Immediately following the terrorist attack, the leaders fled the Khobar area and Saudi Arabia using fake passports.
Qatif
Qatif or Al-Qatif is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the east to King Fahd International Airport in the west...
, 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...
is wanted by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government in connection with the June 25, 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He was indicted by a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia...
on June 21, 2001 on 46 separate criminal counts including murder for his role in the attack. He was identified as the passenger in the bomb truck, which was driven to the complex by Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil
Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil
Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil born June 26, 1967 in Qatif - Bab Al Shamal, Saudi Arabia is wanted by the United States government in connection with the June 25, 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia...
, and which was then abandoned by both men as they fled to waiting cars minutes before the bomb truck blew up.
Months after his 2001 indictment in the 1996 attack, El-Hoorie, still a U.S. fugitive, was then placed on the initial list of the FBI's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists
FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists is a list of fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal grand juries in the United States district courts, for alleged crimes of terrorism. The initial list was formed in late 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...
, which was released to the public by President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on October 10, 2001.
El-Hoorie is very short at only 157 cm (5 ft 2 in), 59 kg (130 lb). He has a mole
Melanocytic nevus
A melanocytic nevus is a type of lesion that contains nevus cells .Some sources equate the term mole with "melanocytic nevus". Other sources reserve the term "mole" for other purposes....
on his face. He is also known as Ali Saed Bin Ali Al-Houri.
He is alleged to be a member of the pro-Iran Saudi Hizballah, or Hizballah Al-Hijaz
Hizballah Al-Hijaz
Hezbollah Al-Hejaz is or was a militant organisation operating in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. It is outlawed in Saudi Arabia. Several of its members are wanted in the United States for their part in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing...
, meaning Party of God, being led by Al-Mughassil. The group is one of a number of related Hezbollah organizations operating in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, among other places, and was outlawed in Saudi Arabia.
Khobar Towers plot, 1993–1996
The 2001 indictment traces the carefully organized 1996 bomb plot back to on or about 1993 when El-Hoorie was part of a team instructed by Al Mughassil to begin surveillance of Americans in Saudi Arabia, including at the location of Khobar Towers as early as 1994.In early 1996, Al-Hoorie was part of the small team that began to hide explosives around the Khobar area.
In early June 1996, a tanker truck was purchased by the conspirators, and the indictment names El-Hoorie as one of the men who then spent two weeks converting the truck into a truck bomb. The cell finalized plans on the evening of June 25, 1996, for the attack that night.
When the Datsun signaled that all was clear by blinking its lights, the bomb truck, driven by Al-Mughassil and with El-Hoorie as a passenger, entered the lot and backed up against a fence in front of building # 131. Al-Mughassil and Al-Hoorie then exited the truck and entered the back seat of the Caprice for the getaway, driving away followed by the Datsun. In minutes, a massive explosion sheared the north face off Building 131. 19 American servicemen were killed, and 372 were wounded.
Although rooftop sentries were immediately suspicious of the truck – parked some 25 m (80 ft) from the building – and attempted an evacuation, few escaped. Comparable to 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) of TNT
TNT
TNT is the chemical explosive trinitrotoluene.TNT or T.N.T. may also refer to:-Television:* TNT , American cable television channel and its international offshoots* TNT , a television station in Launceston, Australia...
, the bomb was estimated to be larger than the one that destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
a year before, and more than twice as powerful as the 1983 bomb used at the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Immediately following the terrorist attack, the leaders fled the Khobar area and Saudi Arabia using fake passports.