Ibrahim al-Rubaish

Saudi national Ibrahim al-Rubaish was a U.S.-designated senior cleric, or mufti, of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).“Counter Terrorism Designations; Counter Narcotics Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 18, 2014, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20141218.aspx;
“Rewards for Justice - Reward Offers for Information on Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, October 14, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/10/232932.htm. He was responsible for issuing religious rulings and providing theological justifications for the group’s acts of terror.“Rewards for Justice - Reward Offers for Information on Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, October 14, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/10/232932.htm. Rubaish’s writings were regularly published in AQAP’s online English magazine, Inspire.Ibrahim Ar-Rubaysh, “The Crusade and the Swap of Stances,” Inspire Magazine 12 (2014): 26. Rubaish was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen on April 12, 2015, according to AQAP.Polly Mosendz, “Ibrahim al-Rubaish, Top Al-Qaeda Leader in Yemen, Killed in Drone Strike,” Newsweek, April 14, 2015, http://www.newsweek.com/ibrahim-al-rubaish-top-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-killed-drone-strike-322277/.

Rubaish was captured by Pakistani officials in Afghanistan in December 2001 and transferred to Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, where the Department of Defense’s Joint Taskforce Guantanamo (JTF) classified him as a member of both the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The JTF determined that Rubaish was of medium intelligence value, and posed a medium level risk to the United States, its interests, and allies.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh,” New York Times, accessed March 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/guantanamo/detainees/192-ibrahim-sulayman-muhammad-arbaysh.

According to JTF summaries, Rubaish grew up in Saudi Arabia and attended Jamiate Al-Emam Mohammed Bensawut in Al-Brida, Saudi Arabia, where he earned a degree in Islamic jurisprudence. He was deeply influenced by Sheikh Hamoud al Uqala, who urged Muslims to join in violent jihad.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh,” New York Times, accessed March 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/guantanamo/detainees/192-ibrahim-sulayman-muhammad-arbaysh.

Rubaish first sought to join jihadist movements in Chechnya. Upon his decision to take up jihad, Rubaish connected with an al-Qaeda recruiter based in Saudi Arabia, who encouraged him to travel to al-Qaeda training camps in the Af-Pak region.  Rubaish is believed to have traveled to Pakistan in May of 2001 before fighting with al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh,” New York Times, accessed March 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/guantanamo/detainees/192-ibrahim-sulayman-muhammad-arbaysh.

During his detainment in Guantanamo, Rubaish was determined to be non-compliant, at times allegedly assaulting officers there. He contributed a poem to Marc Falkoff’s Poems from Guantanamo: the Detainees Speak, published by the University of Iowa Press in 2007.  Among the contributors to Falkoff’s collections were Afghan citizen and fellow Guantanamo detainee Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost who, upon his repatriation to Afghanistan, would return to terrorism and serve as an ISIS commander in the Af-Pak region.“Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak,” University of Iowa Press, https://www.uipress.uiowa.edu/books/2007-fall/falpoefro.html.

Rubaish was repatriated to Saudi Arabia in December 2006 and was enrolled in the national de-radicalization program, Care.Siobhan Gorman, “U.S. Terror Alert Prompted by High-Level al Qaeda Communications,” Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2013, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323514404578650333681440310. Rubaish later escaped and joined AQAP in Yemen.Siobhan Gorman, “U.S. Terror Alert Prompted by High-Level al Qaeda Communications,” Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2013, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323514404578650333681440310.

Following the deadly Paris attacks in January 2015, Rubaish issued an audio message calling for more attacks against the West, especially in France. Though the chief theologian of a major al-Qaeda branch, Rubaish praised al-Qaeda’s competitor, ISIS, for that group’s major military successes in Iraq and Syria.“In Audio Message Released On Twitter, Top AQAP Cleric Calls For Targeting Anyone Insulting Muhammad, Threatens Continuous Attacks In The West: 'The Unbelievers Should Be Struck In Their Own Countries... [The Jihad] Must Continue... We Must Push Them,” MEMRI, February 1, 2015, https://www.memri.org/jttm/audio-message-released-twitter-top-aqap-cleric-calls-targeting-anyone-insulting-muhammad.

On October 14, 2014, the U.S. Department of State announced a reward of up to $5 million for information on Rubaish’s location.“Rewards for Justice - Reward Offers for Information on Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, October 14, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/10/232932.htm. In December of that year, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Rubaish as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and a Specially Designated National, respectively.“Counter Terrorism Designations; Counter Narcotics Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 18, 2014, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20141218.aspx; “In the Matter of the Designation of Ibrahim al-Rubaysh, Also Known as Ibrahimj Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh, Also Known as Ibrahim Salman Mohammed Al Rubeish, Also Known as Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Sulayman Al Rubaysh, Also Known as Ibrahim Bin Sulayman Al Rubaysh, Also Known as Ibrahim al-Rubaish, Also Known as Abu Muhammad, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as Amended,” Federal Register, December 24, 2014, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/12/24/2014-30217/in-the-matter-of-the-designation-of-ibrahim-al-rubaysh-also-known-as-ibrahimj-sulayman-muhammad. He was also placed on “most wanted terrorists” lists in both Saudi Arabia and Yemen.“Interior Ministry issues list of extremists wanted for extradition,” Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, February 3, 2009, http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news02030902.aspx;
Siobhan Gorman, “U.S. Terror Alert Prompted by High-Level al Qaeda Communications,” Wall Street Journal, August 5, 2013, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323514404578650333681440310.

On April 12, 2015, Rubaish was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.“Senior al-Qaeda Leader in Yemen Killed in US Strike,” Al Jazeera, April 15, 2015, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/4/15/senior-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen-killed-in-us-strike. His death, alongside that of several other militants, was confirmed two days later by AQAP in a statement posted on Twitter.“Yemen’s al-Qaeda Branch Says Its Top Cleric Killed in Drone Strike,” CBS News, April 14, 2015, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yemens-al-qaeda-branch-says-its-top-cleric-ibrahim-al-rubaish-killed-in-drone-strike/. In the announcement, he was celebrated for spending “two decades of his life in jihad, fighting America and its agents.”“Senior al-Qaeda Leader in Yemen Killed in US Strike,” Al Jazeera, April 15, 2015, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/4/15/senior-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen-killed-in-us-strike.

Following Rubaish’s death, on May 20, 2022, the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Treasury Department revoked Rubaish’s designation as a SDGT and SDN.“Revocation of Five Foreign Terrorist Organizations Designations and the Delisting of Six Deceased Individuals as Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” U.S. Department of State, May 20, 2022, https://www.state.gov/revocation-of-five-foreign-terrorist-organizations-designations-and-the-delisting-of-six-deceased-individuals-as-specially-designated-global-terrorists; “Counter Terrorism Designations Removals and Updates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, May 20, 2022, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20220520.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
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Type(s) of Organization:
Insurgent, non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Al-Qaeda affiliated group, Islamist, jihadist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
Position(s):
Senior cleric, mufti, deceased

AQAP is the union of al-Qaeda’s affiliated branches in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. AQAP has claimed responsibility for terror attacks and plots worldwide, including the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.

  • Designations
  • Rhetoric

United States

Saudi Arabia

  • Saudi Arabia included Ibrahim Salman Mohammed Al-Rubeish in its list of “85 men wanted by security authorities for participating in extremist activities abroad” on February 3, 2009.“Interior Ministry issues list of extremists wanted for extradition,” Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, February 3, 2009, http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news02030902.aspx.

Yemen

Spring 2014

“And if he does not find any, he will wage Jihad alone wherever he is. Thereupon, America will not only fear the Afghani soldiers, but she will also be haunted by fear wherever her interests are. She will also fear the homegrown Muslims, and even American reverts. Everyone of those will be considered a time bomb which may blow up anytime, during a soccer game, a car race, or in a club.”Ibrahim Ar-Rubaysh, “The Crusade and the Swap of Stances,” Inspire 12 (2014): 26.

Spring 2014

“With time Al-Qaeda may disappear. Not that Jihad has ceased, but the whole Ummah will be waging Jihad. Every Muslim will see that it is his obligation to fight with all his power against America. Just like when he hears the adhan [Islamic call to prayer] he makes wudhu (preparation for formal prayers) and goes to the nearest Jama’ah [group of worshippers], if he does not find Jama’ah he prays alone wherever he is. The same way when he hears the call of Jihad against America, he will strive to answer it by joining the nearest Jihadi group.”Ibrahim Ar-Rubaysh, “The Crusade and the Swap of Stances,” Inspire 12 (2014): 26.

Spring 2014

“The unmanned drones propel the Jihad against the crusaders. They make the issue clearer to Muslims. They drive them to take on the path of Jihad. While Obama thinks he is killing Al-Qaeda, he is actually building an army which he will fight against eventually.”Ibrahim Ar-Rubaysh, “The Crusade and the Swap of Stances,” Inspire 12 (2014): 26.

Spring 2013

“[I]t is an obligation upon every Muslim to fight in the Way of Allah as per his capability. Whoever is able to join the mujahideen he should join their ranks, if not, he should look around for a head of kufr (disbeliever) by which targeting it will restrain the evil might of those who disbelieve.”Ibrahim al-Rubaish, “Allah Will Restrain the Evil Might of Those Who Disbelieve,” Inspire Issue 11 (2013): 15.

Winter 2012

America wanted to deceive its nation by portraying its war as a war against particular individuals so with death of individuals war will ended [sic]. In that way America’s administration feel[s] some sort of victory by killing certain individuals. Just like what happened when they killed Shaykh Usama Bin Laden… Those miserable people haven’t yet realized that their war is waged against a nation that has principles and fundamentals. These principles gain life in the Muslims’ heart when their supporters are martyred for their sake. The clearest of evidence is the long list of the martyred mujahideen that hasn’t weaken [sic] jihad. Instead, jihad operations often increase. Shaykh Osama Bin Laden was killed, but did the war against America cease?Ibrahim al-Rubaish, “Inspire Continues to Inspire,” Inspire 9 (2012): 6.

Dec. 2012

“America wanted to deceive its nation by portraying its war as a war against particular individuals so with death of individuals war will ended [sic]. In that way America’s administration feel[s] some sort of victory by killing certain individuals. Just like what happened when they killed Shaykh Usama Bin Laden… Those miserable people haven’t yet realized that their war is waged against a nation that has principles and fundamentals.”Ibrahim al-Rubaish, “Inspire Continues to Inspire,” Inspire Magazine 9 (2012): 6.

Winter 2012

“[B]y the will of Allah – more of Nidal Hassan and Umar al-Faruq al-Nigiri.”Ibrahim al-Rubaish, “Inspire Continues to Inspire,” Inspire 9 (2012): 6.

Oct. 2009

“If the Houthis were to win the war against the government, they would then have to deal with the Sunnis on numerous occasions that history will recall. We ask God to allow the defeat of the [Shi‘a] rejectionists by the army and vice versa so that the Sunnis prevail.”Alistair Harris, “Exploiting Grievances: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 2010, 7, http://carnegieendowment.org/files/exploiting_grievances.pdf.

Unknown

“Like I said before, if a jihad, for God is willing, is considered to be a threat to the United States, then all Muslims are a threat to the United States. The jihad for one million four hundred years is considered to be a message from Islam to all the Muslims. It is a duty to all Muslims.”“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh,” New York Times, accessed March 11, 2015, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/192-ibrahim-sulayman-muhammad-arbaysh/documents/2/pages/2526.

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