Ziyad Khaleel
Encyclopedia
Ziyad Khaleel, also known as Khalil Ziyad, Ziyad Sadaqa, and Ziyad Abdulrahman, was a Palestinian
-American al-Qaeda
member, based in the United States, primarily in Colorado
, Florida
, Michigan
and Missouri
. He had been identified as a "procurement agent" for Osama bin Laden
, arranging the purchase and delivery of "computers, satellite telephones, and covert surveillance equipment" for the leadership of al-Qaeda,as well as administering a number of radical Islamic websites as webmaster, including the website of the terrorist group Hamas
. Among the cities in which he resided at various times were Denver, Detroit, Columbia
and Orlando
.
In 1991, while living in Denver, he was vice president of the Denver Islamic Society
. By 1994 he was residing in Detroit and his name and address were reflected in ledgers taken from the Al Kifah Refugee Center
, a financial and strategic arm of al-Qaeda.
Upon moving to Columbia, Missouri
, he was known as Ziyad Khaleel, but began using the surname Sadaqa as early as 1996. That year he was a fundraiser and one of eight regional directors of the Islamic African Relief Agency (IARA), which the government later determined was a front for al-Qaeda and Hamas.
Late in 1996 he bought a $7,500 INMARSAT
satellite telephone at the instruction of senior al-Qaeda lieutenant Khaled al-Fawwaz. He delivered the satellite telephone and a battery pack to bin Laden in Afghanistan in May 1998. Bin Laden used the phone to place phone calls around the world, directing al-Qaeda's operations and orchestrating the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The billing information from the number reflects calls to every country in which al-Qaeda is now known to have had cells.
In 1998 and 1999, Khaleel lived in an apartment in the eastern part of Florida's Orange County
, near Orlando.
The FBI investigated Anwar al-Awlaki
, later linked to three of the 9/11 hijackers, the Fort Hood shooter, and the Christmas Day 2009 bomber, beginning in June 1999 through March 2000, after it learned he had been contacted by Khaleel.
On December 29, 1999, as he arrived in the Jordan
ian capital of Amman
, local authorities arrested him on charges of being a procurement agent for bin Laden, but he was later released. In 2000 Khaleel lived in Manchester, Missouri
, and attended Columbia College in St. Louis.
Khaleel is now believed to be dead.
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
-American 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...
member, based in the United States, primarily in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He had been identified as a "procurement agent" for 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...
, arranging the purchase and delivery of "computers, satellite telephones, and covert surveillance equipment" for the leadership of al-Qaeda,as well as administering a number of radical Islamic websites as webmaster, including the website of the terrorist group Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. Among the cities in which he resided at various times were Denver, Detroit, Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
and Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
In 1991, while living in Denver, he was vice president of the Denver Islamic Society
Denver Islamic Society
The Denver Islamic Society, Masjid Al-Noor, at 2124 South Birch Street in Denver, Colorado, is a community-run mosque. It serves primarily immigrants and young adults near the University of Denver....
. By 1994 he was residing in Detroit and his name and address were reflected in ledgers taken from the Al Kifah Refugee Center
Al Kifah Refugee Center
The Al Kifah Refugee Center is a charity that was active in the United Statesand was based in the Faruq Mosque in Brooklyn.-Overview:Al Kifah Refugee Center had clandestine links to forces fighting in Afghanistan dating to the late 1980s, when the fighters enjoyed American support in their struggle...
, a financial and strategic arm of al-Qaeda.
Upon moving to Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, he was known as Ziyad Khaleel, but began using the surname Sadaqa as early as 1996. That year he was a fundraiser and one of eight regional directors of the Islamic African Relief Agency (IARA), which the government later determined was a front for al-Qaeda and Hamas.
Late in 1996 he bought a $7,500 INMARSAT
Inmarsat
Inmarsat plc is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services. It provides telephony and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate to ground stations through eleven geostationary telecommunications satellites...
satellite telephone at the instruction of senior al-Qaeda lieutenant Khaled al-Fawwaz. He delivered the satellite telephone and a battery pack to bin Laden in Afghanistan in May 1998. Bin Laden used the phone to place phone calls around the world, directing al-Qaeda's operations and orchestrating the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The billing information from the number reflects calls to every country in which al-Qaeda is now known to have had cells.
In 1998 and 1999, Khaleel lived in an apartment in the eastern part of Florida's Orange County
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
, near Orlando.
The FBI investigated 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...
, later linked to three of the 9/11 hijackers, the Fort Hood shooter, and the Christmas Day 2009 bomber, beginning in June 1999 through March 2000, after it learned he had been contacted by Khaleel.
On December 29, 1999, as he arrived in the 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...
ian capital of 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...
, local authorities arrested him on charges of being a procurement agent for bin Laden, but he was later released. In 2000 Khaleel lived in Manchester, Missouri
Manchester, Missouri
Manchester is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 18,094 at the 2010 census. The mayor is David Willson.-Geography:Manchester is located at ....
, and attended Columbia College in St. Louis.
Khaleel is now believed to be dead.