Hajjaj Bin Fahd al-Ajmi is a Kuwaiti-born financier and facilitator who has funneled money to al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front.“Treasury Designates Three Key Supporters of Terrorists in Syria and Iraq,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 8, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2605.aspx. Since 2012, Ajmi has utilized a variety of social media platforms to launch fundraising appeals and campaigns to fund jihadist rebel groups in the Syrian civil war,“Terrorist Financing and Social Media,” Camstoll Group, December 2016, https://www.un.org/sc/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TCG_Social-Media-TF_11DEC161.pdf. traveling regularly to Qatar to give speeches as part of his fundraising efforts.“Kuwait releases detained cleric suspected of financing militants,” Reuters, August 21, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-kuwait-cleric-idUSKBN0GL1X120140821;
David D. Kirkpatrick, “Qatar’s Support of Islamists Alienates Allies Near and Far,” New York Times, September 7, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/world/middleeast/qatars-support-of-extremists-alienates-allies-near-and-far.html. In 2014, after Ajmi was designated a terrorist by the United States“Treasury Designates Three Key Supporters of Terrorists in Syria and Iraq,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 8, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2605.aspx. and the United Nations,“Hajjaj Bin Fahd Al Ajmi,” U.N. Security Council, August 15, 2014, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/hajjaj-bin-fahd-al-ajmi. his Twitter account at the time was suspended. Nonetheless, he has continued to maintain an active social media presence, including an Instagram account with over 1.7 million followers as of June 2017,hajajalajmi, Instagram profile, accessed June 27, 2017, https://www.instagram.com/hajajalajmi/;
“Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list,” Gulf News Qatar, June 9, 2017, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686. to solicit donations and finance terrorist groups in Syria.

Ajmi is descended from a prominent and wealthy Kuwaiti family.Joby Warrick, “Private money pours into Syrian conflict as rich donors pick sides,” Washington Post, June 15, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/private-money-pours-into-syrian-conflict-as-rich-donors-pick-sides/2013/06/15/67841656-cf8a-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html?utm_term=.8d3b97d119ba. In June 2012, he established an organization called the “Popular Commission in Support of the Syrian Revolution” to raise funds to support jihadist groups in the Syrian civil war, largely through Twitter accounts.“Use of Social Media by Terrorist Fundraisers & Financiers,” Camstoll Group, April 2016, https://www.camstoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-Media-Report-4.22.16.pdf;
Elizabeth Dickinson, “The Case Against Qatar,” Foreign Policy, September 30, 2014, http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/09/30/the-case-against-qatar/. Just over a year later, Ajmi’s Commission had raised “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” according to the Washington Post, although it is difficult to obtain reliable figures on private donations.Joby Warrick, “Private money pours into Syrian conflict as rich donors pick sides,” Washington Post, June 15, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/private-money-pours-into-syrian-conflict-as-rich-donors-pick-sides/2013/06/15/67841656-cf8a-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html?utm_term=.8d3b97d119ba;
hajajalajmi, Instagram post, July 19, 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BIC8cYTBQJF/?hl=en;
hajajalajmi, Instagram post, September 2, 2015, https://www.instagram.com/p/7IYs7IGUEg/?hl=en.

The Popular Commission was not Ajmi’s only fundraising effort. In June 2012, Ajmi traveled to Qatar to deliver a fundraising pitch and solicit private funds from wealthy Qataris in Doha,David D. Kirkpatrick, “Qatar’s Support of Islamists Alienates Allies Near and Far,” New York Times, September 7, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/world/middleeast/qatars-support-of-extremists-alienates-allies-near-and-far.html. at the invitation of an official in the Qatari Ministry of Endowments.“Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list,” Gulf News Qatar, June 9, 2017, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686;
Elizabeth Dickinson, “The Case Against Qatar,” Foreign Policy, September 30, 2014, http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/09/30/the-case-against-qatar/. In mid-2013, Ajmi led the “Mobilization of the People of Qatar Campaign” to raise funds to provide weapons and support to jihadist groups in Syria.“Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list,” Gulf News Qatar, June 9, 2017, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686;
“Use of Social Media by Terrorist Fundraisers & Financiers,” Camstoll Group, April 2016, https://www.camstoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-Media-Report-4.22.16.pdf.

Ajmi also traveled to Syria in 2013, as the U.N. Security Council notes that he was photographed with fighters in Syria’s Latakia Governorate during that summer.“Hajjaj Bin Fahd Al Ajmi,” U.N. Security Council, August 15, 2014, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/hajjaj-bin-fahd-al-ajmi. Throughout 2013, various jihadist groups in Syria publicly thanked him for his support in videos or statements posted online.“Use of Social Media by Terrorist Fundraisers & Financiers,” Camstoll Group, April 2016, https://www.camstoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-Media-Report-4.22.16.pdf;
Joby Warrick, “Private money pours into Syrian conflict as rich donors pick sides,” Washington Post, June 15, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/private-money-pours-into-syrian-conflict-as-rich-donors-pick-sides/2013/06/15/67841656-cf8a-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html?utm_term=.8d3b97d119ba. In August 2013, the Nusra Front’s media office specifically directed donors to Ajmi’s Twitter account.Mark Nakhala, “Terrorist Financing & Social Media,” Camstoll Group, December 2016, https://www.un.org/sc/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TCG_Social-Media-TF_11DEC161.pdf. According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Ajmi offered money to the Nusra Front to lead a military campaign in Homs, Syria, in January 2014.“Treasury Designates Three Key Supporters of Terrorists in Syria and Iraq,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 8, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2605.aspx.

In August 2014, Ajmi was designated as a terrorist and placed on sanctions lists by multiple countries and organizations, notably the United States,“Treasury Designates Three Key Supporters of Terrorists in Syria and Iraq,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 8, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2605.aspx. United Kingdom,“Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK,” UK Sanctions List, June 21, 2017, http://hmt-sanctions.s3.amazonaws.com/sanctionsconlist.pdf. and the United Nations.“Hajjaj Bin Fahd Al Ajmi,” U.N. Security Council, August 15, 2014, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/hajjaj-bin-fahd-al-ajmi. Following these designations, Twitter suspended Ajmi’s account.Steven Nelson, “Evildoers of Twitter Beware: You Can Now Be Served Lawsuits in a Tweet,” U.S. News and World Report, October 6, 2016, https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-10-06/accused-terror-financier-can-be-served-lawsuit-via-twitter-judge-rules. However, he re-emerged on the social media platform with a new account mere hours later, and his supporters circulated a hashtag that helped him regain a large following.“Use of Social Media by Terrorist Fundraisers & Financiers,” Camstoll Group, April 2016, https://www.camstoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-Media-Report-4.22.16.pdf. By April 2016, Ajmi’s second active Twitter account had more than 197,000 followers.“Blacklisted Terrorism Financiers Still Active on Social Media,” World Stock Market News, April 25, 2016, http://stockmarketnewsworld.com/blacklisted-terrorism-financiers-still-active-on-social-media/. Although that account has since been suspended, Ajmi has been active on other social media platforms. He began using Snapchat in October 2015,“Use of Social Media by Terrorist Fundraisers & Financiers,” Camstoll Group, April 2016, https://www.camstoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-Media-Report-4.22.16.pdf;
“Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list,” Gulf News Qatar, June 9, 2017, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686;
hajajalajmi, Instagram post, June 27, 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BHKptRPBoBc/?taken-by=hajajalajmi&hl=en. and as of June 2017, still maintains an active Instagram account with over 1.7 million followers.hajajalajmi, Instagram profile, accessed June 27, 2017, https://www.instagram.com/hajajalajmi/. The Twitter account for the “Popular Commission in Support of the Syrian Revolution” also remains active.alhayahalshabyh, Twitter profile, accessed June 26, 2017, https://twitter.com/alhayahalshabyh;
“Use of Social Media by Terrorist Fundraisers & Financiers,” Camstoll Group, April 2016, https://www.camstoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Social-Media-Report-4.22.16.pdf;
Elizabeth Dickinson, “The Case Against Qatar,” Foreign Policy, September 30, 2014, http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/09/30/the-case-against-qatar/. Additionally, Gulf News Qatar reports that Ajmi is once again active on Twitter under the handle @hajajbinfahad,“Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list,” Gulf News Qatar, June 9, 2017, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686. although the account is unverified.

Ajmi was arrested on August 20, 2014, by Kuwaiti authorities at the airport in Kuwait upon his return from a trip to Qatar.“Kuwait arrests suspected Qaeda financier,” Al Arabiya, August 20, 2014, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/21/Kuwait-arrests-suspected-Qaeda-financier-.html. However, he was released the following day without charge.“Kuwait releases detained cleric suspected of financing militants,” August 21, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-kuwait-cleric-idUSKBN0GL1X120140821. In June 2016, St. Francis of Assisi, a non-profit organization based in California and dedicated to assisting Syrian refugees, filed a lawsuit in federal court against Ajmi for claims that he financed ISIS’s killing of its clients: Christians in Iraq and Syria.Nicholas Iovino, “Banks Accused of Funding ‘Christian Genocide,’” Courthouse News Service, June 14, 2016, http://oldarchives.courthousenews.com/2016/06/14/banks-accused-of-funding-christian-genocide.htm. The case made headlines when a judge granted St. Francis permission to serve the lawsuit via Twitter, the only potential way to reach Ajmi, an avid user of the social media platform. However, Ajmi’s followers rallied against the non-profit in October 2016, and his Twitter account was subsequently deactivated.Jessica Floum, “Social media: a tool or a risk for courtrooms?” San Francisco Chronicle, November 4, 2016, http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Social-media-a-tool-or-a-risk-for-courtrooms-10592248.php.

Ajmi today posts regularly on Instagram, generating social media posts often including photographs of Syrian children wounded or killed in the war. On occasion, Ajmi has urged donations to terrorist-linked charities. In one post, he asked donors to support a charity called Mercy International, whose efforts he trusts in “relieving [the suffering of] the Syrian people,” and provides a number and website for donations.hajajalajmi, Instagram post, January 9, 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BAT7lz6mUFI/?hl=en. The Mercy International Relief Organization has been accused of facilitating terrorism in the past: a former al-Qaeda member testified that it played a central role in facilitating the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya.Matthew Levitt, “Charitable and Humanitarian Organizations in the Network of International Terrorist Financing,” Washington Institute, August 1, 2002, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/charitable-and-humanitarian-organizations-in-the-network-of-international-t.

Hajjaj Al Ajmi Instagram post, January 9, 2016. Ajmi’s caption reads, “In Kuwait, I trust in the efforts of all of Mercy International in relieving [the suffering of] the Syrian people. They have a campaign to help with besieged Madaya. [You all] support them to help your brothers.” The Twitter handle @khaironline is the Mercy International charity’s online portal for soliciting donations and support. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control has included Mercy International within its Specially Designated Nationals list for its links to Hamas.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 7, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20161207.aspx.

In another post on Instagram, Ajmi asked donors to support the Islamic International Charitable Organization,hajajalajmi, Instagram post, May 27, 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BUm6V5XB5d3/?taken-by=hajajalajmi&hl=en. a Kuwaiti-based organization with reported links to Hamas.Matthew A. Levitt, “Hearing on ‘The Role of Charities and NGOs in the Financing of Terrorist Activities’,” U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, August 1, 2002, https://www.banking.senate.gov/02_08hrg/080102/levitt.htm.

Hajjaj Al Ajmi Instagram post, May 27, 2017. Ajmi mentions the International Islamic Charitable Organization, a Kuwaiti-based charity linked to Hamas.

Ajmi was also able to create his own ads on social media platforms that allowed donors to pay him directly.“Blacklisted Terrorism Financiers Still Active on Social Media,” World Stock Market News, April 25, 2016, http://stockmarketnewsworld.com/blacklisted-terrorism-financiers-still-active-on-social-media/. In other posts, Ajmi provides contact information through “advertisements” for real estate or car companies.hajajalajmi, Instagram post, January 13, 2016, https://www.instagram.com/p/BAeRKwKGUCB/?hl=en;
hajajalajmi, Instagram post, February 20, 2017, https://www.instagram.com/p/BQu_Dw4hzCg/?hl=en.

In June 2017, after cutting ties with Qatar over its support of terrorism, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain designated Ajmi a terrorist based on his campaigns in Qatar to raise funds for terrorist groups.“Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list,” Gulf News Qatar, June 9, 2017, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686.

Mohamed Amiin Ali Roble is a U.S.-born foreign fighter with ISIS who was part of a pro-ISIS cell in Minnesota. In October 2014, at 18 years old, Roble left the United States and flew back and forth from China and Istanbul before traveling to Syria that December.“Eleventh Twin cities Man Charged with Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to ISIL,” United States Department of Justice, August 24, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/eleventh-twin-cities-man-charged-conspiracy-provide-material-support-isil. Roble funded his travel with the more than $91,000 he was awarded upon turning 18 as a payout from lawsuits related to a collapse of an I-35 bridge in Minnesota, 2007.Mark Berman, “FBI says Minnesota man who survived 2007 bridge collapse got a settlement and used it to join ISIS,” Washington Post, August 25, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/25/fbi-says-minnesota-man-who-survived-2007-bridge-collapse-got-a-settlement-and-used-it-to-join-isis/?utm_term=.79286a5a8a75.

According to reports, Roble left the United States less than two months after receiving the I-35 bridge settlement. Roble informed his parents that he would be attending a study program in China.Stephen Montemayor, “I-35 bridge collapse survivor becomes 11^th Twin Cities man charged with supporting ISIL,” Star Tribune, August 25, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/i-35-bridge-collapse-survivor-becomes-11th-twin-cities-man-charged-with-supporting-isil/391229031/. Roble left China and twice traveled to Istanbul, spending a day in Turkey in November 2014 and returned there again in December. Roble never returned to China from this second trip. According to authorities, Roble travelled back and forth across the border from Turkey to Syria numerous times between December 2014 and May 2015.Stephen Montemayor, “I-35 bridge collapse survivor becomes 11^th Twin Cities man charged with supporting ISIL,” Star Tribune, August 25, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/i-35-bridge-collapse-survivor-becomes-11th-twin-cities-man-charged-with-supporting-isil/391229031/. Roble was scheduled to return to the United States in June 2015, but he never did.“AP: Bridge collapse survivor linked to ISIS in Syria,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-link-minnesota-man-survivor-minneapolis-bridge-collapse-ap/.

Roble made numerous withdrawals from his bank account while in Turkey, totaling approximately $47,000.Stephen Montemayor, “I-35 bridge collapse survivor becomes 11^th Twin Cities man charged with supporting ISIL,” Star Tribune, August 25, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/i-35-bridge-collapse-survivor-becomes-11th-twin-cities-man-charged-with-supporting-isil/391229031/. According to the testimony of Guled Ali Omar, the alleged ringleader of a Minnesotan cell, Roble brought an additional $20,000 with him when he traveled to the region.Mark Berman, “FBI says Minnesota man who survived 2007 bridge collapse got a settlement and used it to join ISIS,” Washington Post, August 25, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/25/fbi-says-minnesota-man-who-survived-2007-bridge-collapse-got-a-settlement-and-used-it-to-join-isis/?utm_term=.79286a5a8a75. Roble allegedly used the money to support himself and other members of ISIS, purchasing vehicles and funding the weddings of his compatriots.Stephen Montemayor, “I-35 bridge collapse survivor becomes 11^th Twin Cities man charged with supporting ISIL,” Star Tribune, august 25, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/i-35-bridge-collapse-survivor-becomes-11th-twin-cities-man-charged-with-supporting-isil/391229031/. Roble is also reported to have used the money to purchase sporting equipment, clothing, and electronics during his frequent border crossings into Turkey.Mark Berman, “FBI says Minnesota man who survived 2007 bridge collapse got a settlement and used it to join ISIS,” Washington Post, August 25, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/25/fbi-says-minnesota-man-who-survived-2007-bridge-collapse-got-a-settlement-and-used-it-to-join-isis/?utm_term=.3c0b1d082d7b. According to Omar, Roble was generous with his money upon reaching Syria, handing it out “like candy.”Mark Berman, “FBI says Minnesota man who survived 2007 bridge collapse got a settlement and used it to join ISIS,” Washington Post, August 25, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/25/fbi-says-minnesota-man-who-survived-2007-bridge-collapse-got-a-settlement-and-used-it-to-join-isis/?utm_term=.3c0b1d082d7b.

Roble, a suspected member of the pro-ISIS cell in Minnesota, was one of only two pro-ISIS members from the cell known to have made it to Syria.Erik Ortiz, “Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Survivor Mohamed Roble Charged With Joining ISIS,” NBC News, August 25, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/minneapolis-bridge-collapse-survivor-mohamed-roble-charged-joining-isis-n637636. The other member of the cell who traveled to Syria was Roble’s uncle, Abdiwali Nur.“Minnesota bridge collapse survivor accused of trying to join Islamic State after getting settlement,” Chicago Tribune, August 24, 2016, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-minnesota-bridge-collapse-survivor-islamic-state-20160824-story.html. One month after Roble left the country, four of his compatriots were caught at the airport attempting to depart.Stephen Montemayor, “I-35 bridge collapse survivor becomes 11th Twin Cities man charged with supporting ISIL,” Star Tribune, August 25, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/i-35-bridge-collapse-survivor-becomes-11th-twin-cities-man-charged-with-supporting-isil/391229031/. The list of accused pro-ISIS members grew to nine, all supposedly inspired by Nur, who was the first to travel to Syria, reportedly joining up with ISIS in May 2014.Mukhtar Ibrahim and Laura Yuen, “Informant’s role emerges as key in counterterror sweep,” MPR News, April 20, 2015, http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/04/20/counterterror-informant. Roble’s name surfaced as a co-conspirator of the Minnesotan defendants during their trial of three other members.Erik Ortiz, “Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Survivor Mohamed Roble Charged With Joining ISIS,” NBC News, August 25, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/minneapolis-bridge-collapse-survivor-mohamed-roble-charged-joining-isis-n637636. One co-conspirator, Abdirizak Warsame, claimed to have seen photographs of Roble in a desert setting, at times holding either an assault rifle of the black flag of ISIS.“United States of America v. Mohamed Amiin Ali Roble: Criminal Complaint,” United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, August 24, 2016, https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Roble%20Criminal%20Complaint%2C%20Signed%20Affidavit.pdf.

Some of the Minnesotan defendants suggested under testimony that they were aware of Roble’s payout from the I-35 bridge incident, and admitted that they had asked Roble to help fund their own trips to Syria.Jennifer Mayerle, “I-35W Bridge Collapse Survivor Linked To ISIS,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/27/bridge-collapse-survivor-islamic-state/. Six defendants in the conspiracy pled guilty and did not go to trial, receiving reduced sentences.Eleventh Twin Cities Man Charged with Conspiracy to rovide Material Support to ISIL,” United States Department of Justice, August 24, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/eleventh-twin-cities-man-charged-conspiracy-provide-material-support-isil. Members of the cell included Omar, Nur, Warsame, Abdurahman Yasin Daud, Mohamed Abdihamid Farah, Hanad Mustafe Musse, Adnan Farah, Zacharia Yusuf Abdurahman, Abdullahi Yusuf, and Hamza Naj Ahmed.

Roble’s radicalization process appears to date back to a traumatic incident in 2007. On August 1, 2007, the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi river in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour.Stephen Montemayor, “I-35 bridge collapse survivor becomes 11^th Twin Cities man charged with supporting ISIL,” Star Tribune, August 25, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/i-35-bridge-collapse-survivor-becomes-11th-twin-cities-man-charged-with-supporting-isil/391229031/. Roble was a passenger on a school bus that was on the bridge when it collapsed, suffering headaches, arm, neck and back pain, nightmares, and post-traumatic stress disorder after the incident.Jennifer Mayerle, “I-35W Bridge Collapse Survivor Linked To ISIS,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/27/bridge-collapse-survivor-islamic-state/. Following the incident, Roble’s therapist reported that he seemed traumatized and that Roble held the “spiritual belief that God had saved him for a purpose.”Jennifer Mayerle, “I-35W Bridge Collapse Survivor Linked To ISIS,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/27/bridge-collapse-survivor-islamic-state/. According to reports, Roble considered himself jinxed after the incident, and did not continue the suggested counseling sessions.“AP: Bridge collapse survivor linked to ISIS in Syria,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-link-minnesota-man-survivor-minneapolis-bridge-collapse-ap/.

Roble’s parents filed a lawsuit against the state of Minnesota, as well as the contractors involved in building and maintaining the bridge.Mark Berman, “FBI says Minnesota man who survived 2007 bridge collapse got a settlement and used it to join ISIS,” Washington Post, August 25, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/25/fbi-says-minnesota-man-who-survived-2007-bridge-collapse-got-a-settlement-and-used-it-to-join-isis/?utm_term=.79286a5a8a75. Because the collapse was due to design error, the state court ruled in Roble’s favor in 2009, deciding to award Roble a lump sum payment upon his 18^th birthday.Mark Berman, “FBI says Minnesota man who survived 2007 bridge collapse got a settlement and used it to join ISIS,” Washington Post, August 25, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/25/fbi-says-minnesota-man-who-survived-2007-bridge-collapse-got-a-settlement-and-used-it-to-join-isis/?utm_term=.79286a5a8a75. Roble turned 18 years old on August 19, 2014, receiving $65,431.22 from the State of Minnesota, as well as payouts from two companies that worked on the bridge: $11,167.00 from a contracting firm, and $15,056.00 from a consulting firm.“United States of America v. Mohamed Amiin Ali Roble: Criminal Complaint,” United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, August 24, 2016, https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Roble%20Criminal%20Complaint%2C%20Signed%20Affidavit.pdf.

On August 24, 2016, Roble was charged in absentia with providing and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS.“United States of America v. Mohamed Amiin Ali Roble: Criminal Complaint,” United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, August 24, 2016, https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Roble%20Criminal%20Complaint%2C%20Signed%20Affidavit.pdf. Roble is the eleventh member of the pro-ISIS Minnesotan cell to be formally charged by the U.S. government.Abigail Abrams, “Man Who Survived Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Charged With Joining ISIS,” Time Magazine, August 25, 2016, http://time.com/4466076/minnesota-man-charged-isis/. According to the FBI as of August 2016, Roble was believed to be living in Syria with his uncle Nur.“AP: Bridge collapse survivor linked to ISIS in Syria,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-link-minnesota-man-survivor-minneapolis-bridge-collapse-ap/;
Ricky Campbell, “Mohamed Amiin Ali Roble: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” Heavy.com, August 25, 2016, http://heavy.com/news/2016/08/mohamed-amiin-ali-roble-minnesota-isis-i35-bridge-collapse-terrorist-fbi-isil-islamic-state/. Although the Minnesotan cell is believed to have conspired in person, the group has also used social media and other online platforms to communicate particularly with Nur and Roble, who used Skype to communicate with other members of the cell.Jennifer Mayerle, “I-35W Bridge Collapse Survivor Linked To ISIS,” CBS News, May 27, 2016, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/05/27/bridge-collapse-survivor-islamic-state/.

Saleh al-Arouri was a U.S.-designated Hamas military leader and financier who was reportedly expelled from Qatar in June 2017.Sue Surkes and agencies, “Hamas commander involved in kidnap of Israeli teens expelled from Qatar,” Times of Israel, June 5, 2017, http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-chief-said-involved-in-kidnap-of-israeli-teens-faces-expulsion-from-qatar/;
“Press release issued by Hamas concerning the claims of media outlets regarding the Qatari list,” Hamas website, June 5, 2017, http://hamas.ps/en/post/771/press-release-issued-by-hamas-concerning-the-claims-of-media-outlets-regarding-the-qatari-list. Hamas elected Arouri as deputy leader of its political bureau in October 2017.Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams, “Hamas picks new deputy chief whom Israel blames for helping spark Gaza war,” Reuters, October 5, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-israel-hamas/hamas-picks-new-deputy-chief-whom-israel-blames-for-helping-spark-gaza-war-idUSKBN1CA1NM. Arouri had facilitated money and weapons transfers for Hamas since the 1980s and helped found the West Bank branch of Hamas’s military wing.Ali Waked, “Hamas: Prisoner release unrelated to Shalit deal,” YNet, March 18, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3864782,00.html;
Matthew Levitt, “Hamas’ Not-So-Secret Weapon,” Foreign Affairs, July 9, 2014, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2014-07-09/hamas-not-so-secret-weapon. Arouri allegedly coordinated the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, which sparked that summer’s conflict between Israel and Hamas.“In First, Hamas Official Takes Credit for Kidnap and Murder of Israeli Teens,” Jerusalem Post, August 20, 2014, http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/In-first-Hamas-official-takes-credit-for-kidnap-and-murder-of-Israeli-teens-371703. He also reportedly created and ran Hamas’s bureau in Turkey until his expulsion from the country in 2015.Elhanan Miller, “Hamas official denies directing attacks from Turkey,” Times of Israel, December 22, 2014, http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-official-denies-directing-attacks-from-turkey/;
Smadar Perry and Itamar Eichner, “Hamas leader expelled from Turkey,” YNet, December 22, 2015, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4742831,00.html. The U.S. Treasury accused Arouri of serving as “a key financier and financial facilitator for Hamas military cells planning attacks and fomenting unrest.”“Treasury Sanctions Major Hamas Leaders, Financial Facilitators and a Front Company,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 10, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0159.aspx. In November 2018, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Arouri’s arrest.“Rewards for Justice - Reward Offer for Information on Hamas and Hizballah Key Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, November 13, 2018, https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/11/287330.htm. Arouri also served as Hamas’s leader in the West Bank.Reuters and Jerusalem Post staff, “Haniyeh reelected to lead Hamas in internal elections – report,” Jerusalem Post, August 1, 2021, https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/haniyeh-reelected-to-lead-hamas-in-internal-elections-report-675521. Arouri died in an alleged Israeli drone strike in Lebanon on January 2, 2024.Jacob Magid and Emanuel Fabian, “Reports: Hamas deputy leader abroad Saleh al-Arouri killed in alleged Israeli strike in Lebanon,” Times of Israel, January 2, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-deputy-leader-abroad-saleh-al-arouri-killed-in-alleged-israeli-strike-in-lebanon/; “Israeli strike in Lebanon kills senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri -security sources,” Reuters, January 2, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-strike-lebanon-kills-senior-hamas-official-saleh-al-arouri-security-2024-01-02/.

Arouri became active with Hamas during the first Palestinian intifada (“uprising”) against Israel in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He became a founding member of Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in 1991 and helped establish it in the West Bank.Anna Ahronheim and Khaled Abu Toameh, “U.S. offers $5m. reward for the capture of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri,” Jerusalem Post, November 14, 2018, https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/us-department-of-state-offers-rewards-for-info-on-hamas-and-hezbollah-571882; “Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades,” Australian National Security, accessed August 5, 2021, https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/HamassIzzal-Dinal-QassamBrigades.aspx; Ali Waked, “Hamas: Prisoner release unrelated to Shalit deal,” YNet, March 18, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3864782,00.html. Arouri became involved with Islamist groups while a student at Hebron University in the West Bank in 1985. He joined Hamas after its 1988 founding and began recruiting other university students. Israeli authorities first arrested Arouri in 1990. He was released five months later and returned to work for Hamas raising money.Matthew Levitt, “Hamas’ Not-So-Secret Weapon,” Foreign Affairs, July 9, 2014, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2014-07-09/hamas-not-so-secret-weapon. In 1992, he admittedly received $96,000 from a Hamas member and provided $45,000 to Hamas operative Musa Dudin for the purchase of weapons.Matthew Levitt, “Hamas’ Not-So-Secret Weapon,” Foreign Affairs, July 9, 2014, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2014-07-09/hamas-not-so-secret-weapon. Israeli authorities arrested him later that year, and an Israeli military court convicted Arouri for his “leadership role” in Hamas.“Treasury Sanctions Major Hamas Leaders, Financial Facilitators and a Front Company,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 10, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0159.aspx;
“Starved of Justice,” Amnesty International, June 2012, 35-36, https://www.amnestyusa.org/files/israelopt_starved_of_justice_060612-final.pdf.

Arouri would spend the next 15 years in an Israeli prison. In 1997, authorities issued two six-month extensions of Arouri’s sentence after accusing him of “conducting unlawful activities” from inside the prison, including maintaining “illegal contact” with Hamas operatives.Matthew Levitt, “Hamas’ Not-So-Secret Weapon,” Foreign Affairs, July 9, 2014, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2014-07-09/hamas-not-so-secret-weapon. In 1998, Arouri was convicted of a new charge of membership in Hamas.“Treasury Sanctions Major Hamas Leaders, Financial Facilitators and a Front Company,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 10, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0159.aspx;
“Starved of Justice,” Amnesty International, June 2012, 35-36, https://www.amnestyusa.org/files/israelopt_starved_of_justice_060612-final.pdf. In August 2004, a U.S. federal grand jury in Chicago indicted Arouri as a co-conspirator in a U.S. racketeering conspiracy to providing funding to Hamas.“Chicago and Washington, D.C., Area Men Among Three Indicted in Racketeering Conspiracy in U.S. to Finance Hamas Terror Abroad,” U.S. Department of Justice, https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2004/August/04_crm_571.htm.

Upon Arouri’s release in March 2007, he renounced terrorism in an interview with the London-based Telegraph newspaper. He professed that there could be only a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Joshua Mitnick, “Freed Hamas leader shuns terror tactics,” Telegraph (London), March 18, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1545919/Freed-Hamas-leader-shuns-terror-tactics.html. Israeli authorities rearrested Arouri three months later, reportedly on an administrative detention order.Matthew Levitt, “Hamas’ Not-So-Secret Weapon,” Foreign Affairs, July 9, 2014, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/israel/2014-07-09/hamas-not-so-secret-weapon;
Terrence McCoy, “The enigmatic Hamas leader allegedly behind the Israeli kidnappings that ignited war,” Washington Post, July 10, 2014, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/10/the-enigmatic-hamas-leader-allegedly-behind-the-israeli-kidnappings-that-ignited-war/?utm_term=.1dc8ec71533b. While in prison, Arouri was elected to Hamas’s prison shura (leadership) council.Matthew Levitt and Stephanie Papa, “Reality Contradicts New Hamas Spin,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, August 7, 2009, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/reality-contradicts-new-hamas-spin. Arouri was released in March 2010 on the condition that he leave Israel and the Palestinian territories. His wife and child had reportedly been stopped at the Jordanian border while trying to leave the West Bank, and Arouri accepted the terms in order to reunite with his family. He joined other Hamas leaders in Syria, which was then hosting Hamas’s political bureau.“Treasury Sanctions Major Hamas Leaders, Financial Facilitators and a Front Company,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 10, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0159.aspx;
“Starved of Justice,” Amnesty International, June 2012, 35-36, https://www.amnestyusa.org/files/israelopt_starved_of_justice_060612-final.pdf. Hamas has denied that Arouri’s release was related to negotiations over the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, whom Hamas had captured in 2006.Ali Waked, “Hamas: Prisoner release unrelated to Shalit deal,” YNet, March 18, 2010, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3864782,00.html.

In 2012, Hamas’s leadership fled Syria after the outbreak of that country’s civil war. Arouri first relocated to Turkey.Smadar Perry and Itamar Eichner, “Hamas leader expelled from Turkey,” YNet, December 22, 2015, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4742831,00.html. Arouri is suspected of building a Hamas bureau in Istanbul, from which he directed and financed Hamas military cells in the West Bank and Jordan, according to the U.S. Treasury. The Treasury accuses Arouri of facilitating the transfer of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hamas’s militant activities.“Treasury Sanctions Major Hamas Leaders, Financial Facilitators and a Front Company,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 10, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0159.aspx. Arouri denied he was coordinating Hamas military operations from Turkey, but nonetheless stands accused of planning attacks against Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.Elhanan Miller, “Hamas official denies directing attacks from Turkey,” Times of Israel, December 22, 2014, http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-official-denies-directing-attacks-from-turkey/.

In June 2014, a Hamas cell in the West Bank kidnapped and murdered Israeli teenagers Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel and Israeli authorities suspected Arouri of coordinating the abductions from Turkey.Avi Issacharoff, “Israeli official names Hamas leader abroad as suspect behind kidnappings,” Times of Israel, June 19, 2014, http://www.timesofisrael.com/security-official-hamas-leader-abroad-likely-behind-abduction/. Hamas initially denied responsibility. That August, Arouri publicly praised the kidnappings as a “heroic operation” and claimed responsibility for them on behalf of Hamas.“In First, Hamas Official Takes Credit for Kidnap and Murder of Israeli Teens,” Jerusalem Post, August 20, 2014, http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/In-first-Hamas-official-takes-credit-for-kidnap-and-murder-of-Israeli-teens-371703. Israeli NGO Shurat Hadin-Israel Law Center has made several unanswered requests to U.S. officials to extradite Arouri for his role in the murder of Fraenkel, who held dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship.Gil Hoffman, “Lawyers Ask Clinton, Trump to Back Extraditing Terrorist Leader,” Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2016, http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Lawyers-ask-Clinton-Trump-to-back-extraditing-terrorist-leader-449379.

Arouri has also directed Hamas cells in the West Bank to attack the PA, Hamas’s political rival. In August 2014, Israeli security services alerted PA officials that Arouri was allegedly planning a Hamas coup against the government.Mitch Ginsburg and Associated Press, “Abbas orders probe into Hamas coup plot revealed by Israel,” Times of Israel, August 19, 2014, http://www.timesofisrael.com/abbas-orders-investigation-into-hamas-coup-plot-revealed-by-israel/. In July 2015, PA security forces broke up several Hamas cells in the West Bank and arrested 250 people. Arouri was purportedly coordinating the cells to attack Israeli and PA targets.Avi Issacharoff, “Hamas plot to attack Israel, PA in West Bank foiled by mass arrests,” Times of Israel, July 19, 2015, http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-plot-to-attack-israel-pa-in-west-bank-foiled-by-mass-arrests/.

In September 2015, the U.S. government designated Arouri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for his role in directing Hamas financial support and military operations.“Treasury Sanctions Major Hamas Leaders, Financial Facilitators and a Front Company,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 10, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0159.aspx. That December, the Turkish government expelled Arouri, reportedly at Israel’s request as part of a reconciliation agreement between the two countries.Smadar Perry and Itamar Eichner, “Hamas leader expelled from Turkey,” YNet, December 22, 2015, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4742831,00.html. Arouri moved to Qatar, which was hosting Hamas’s political delegation, including then-leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal.Avi Issacharoff, “PA security raids Hamas cell planning attacks against Israelis,” March 8, 2016, http://www.timesofisrael.com/pa-security-raids-hamas-cell-planning-attacks-against-israelis/.

In early June 2017, international media reported that the Qatari government had expelled Arouri and other high-level Hamas leaders.Sue Surkes and agencies, “Hamas commander involved in kidnap of Israeli teens expelled from Qatar,” Times of Israel, June 5, 2017, http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-chief-said-involved-in-kidnap-of-israeli-teens-faces-expulsion-from-qatar/. Hamas denied the reports, claiming that Arouri and other Hamas leaders voluntarily left the country.“Press release issued by Hamas concerning the claims of media outlets regarding the Qatari list,” Hamas website, June 5, 2017, http://hamas.ps/en/post/771/press-release-issued-by-hamas-concerning-the-claims-of-media-outlets-regarding-the-qatari-list. Arouri reportedly relocated to Malaysia, but Malaysian Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said that there is no evidence that Arouri is in the country. He added that Hamas leaders would be welcome in Malaysia if they “come in peace.”Timothy Achariam, “IGP: Nothing wrong with Hamas leaders visiting if they come in peace,” The Sun (Selangor Darul Ehsan), June 8, 2017, http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2017/06/08/igp-nothing-wrong-hamas-leaders-visiting-if-they-come-peace.

Less than a week after Arouri left Qatar, Israeli officials said he had relocated to Lebanon and was working with Qasem Soleimani, leader of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Israeli Defense Ministry accused Arouri of trying to strengthen ties between Hezbollah and Hamas while planning attacks on Israel from Lebanon.“Liberman: Top Hamas operative is now in Lebanon, plotting attacks,” Times of Israel, June 9, 2017, http://www.timesofisrael.com/liberman-top-hamas-operative-in-lebanon-plotting-attacks/. Hamas elected Arouri as its deputy political leader on October 5, 2017. Despite his ascension, Hamas did not reveal Arouri’s location.Nidal al-Mughrabi and Dan Williams, “Hamas picks new deputy chief whom Israel blames for helping spark Gaza war,” Reuters, October 5, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-israel-hamas/hamas-picks-new-deputy-chief-whom-israel-blames-for-helping-spark-gaza-war-idUSKBN1CA1NM. According to the U.S. government in November 2018, Arouri continued to live freely in Lebanon as of 2018.Amir Tibon, Jack Khoury, and Reuters, “Hamas Says Deputy Leader Will Remain in Position After U.S. Offers Up to $5m for Info,” Haaretz (Tel Aviv), November 14, 2018, https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/u-s-offers-up-to-5-million-for-information-leading-to-hamas-and-hezbollah-leaders-1.6654544. According to some reports, Arouri returned to Turkey in 2020.Ioannis E. Kotoulas, “Turkey continues to tolerate Hamas’ operations against Israel,” Jewish News Syndicate, November 30, 2022, https://www.jns.org/opinion/turkey-continues-to-tolerate-hamas-operations-against-israel/.

In September 2020, Arouri was part of a delegation that met with members of several militant factions in Beirut, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)’s Ziad al-Nakhalah and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.Joe Truzman, “Hamas Admits Senior Official Salah al-Arouri has Contracted COVID-19,” Long War Journal, October 3, 2020, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/10/hamas-admits-senior-official-salah-al-arouri-has-contracted-covid-19.php. Later that month, he reportedly traveled to Turkey to meet with officials from Hamas’s political rival, Fatah.Joanne Serrieh, “Coronavirus: Hamas’ Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri Tests Positive for COVID-19,” Al-Arabiya, October 3, 2020, https://english.alarabiya.net/coronavirus/2020/10/03/Coronavirus-Hamas-deputy-chief-Saleh-al-Arouri-tests-positive-for-COVID-19. On October 1, 2020, Hamas announced that Arouri tested positive for COVID-19, and that he “has taken all necessary health measures, and shall remain isolated until his recovery.”Joanne Serrieh, “Coronavirus: Hamas’ Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri Tests Positive for COVID-19,” Al-Arabiya, October 3, 2020, https://english.alarabiya.net/coronavirus/2020/10/03/Coronavirus-Hamas-deputy-chief-Saleh-al-Arouri-tests-positive-for-COVID-19.

In February 2021, Arouri led the Hamas faction at a meeting of several Palestinian factions Cairo, Egypt, on achieving “national dialogue” on the upcoming Palestinian general elections.Khaled Abu Toameh, “Hamas Urges Abbas to Lift Gaza Sanctions to Facilitate Elections,” Jerusalem Post, February 3, 2021, https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/hamas-urges-abbas-to-lift-gaza-sanctions-to-facilitate-elections-657667; “Palestinian factions begin election talks in Cairo,” Times of Israel, February 8, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-factions-begin-election-talks-in-cairo/. The meeting concluded with a commitment by Palestinian factions to hold the first Palestinian legislative elections since Hamas swept to power in 2006.“Palestinian elections on track after factions meet in Cairo,” Associated Press, February 9, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/israel-cairo-elections-mahmoud-abbas-west-bank-d73be39b2a1220a1cf8042e3183e027c/. Elections were scheduled for May 22, but Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas indefinitely posted the elections on April 29. Abbas cited Israel’s refusal to allow Palestinian in east Jerusalem to vote, but local analysts suspected the delay was because Abbas feared a Hamas political victory.Adnan Abu Amer, “Hamas rallies opposition to Abbas after elections pushed back,” Al-Monitor, April 29, 2021, https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/05/hamas-rallies-opposition-abbas-after-elections-pushed-back; “Fatah intensifies efforts to postpone elections fearing a Hamas win,” Middle East Monitor, April 20, 2021, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210420-fatah-intensifies-efforts-to-postpone-elections-fearing-a-hamas-win/; “Hamas: Delaying election will affect future of Palestine reconciliation,” April 28, 2021, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210428-hamas-delaying-election-will-affect-future-of-palestine-reconciliation/.

In 2021, Hamas elected Arouri to serve as its leader in the West Bank during secretive internal elections. The appointment is for four years.Reuters and Jerusalem Post staff, “Haniyeh reelected to lead Hamas in internal elections – report,” Jerusalem Post, August 1, 2021, https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/haniyeh-reelected-to-lead-hamas-in-internal-elections-report-675521. It is unclear when exactly Arouri’s election took place. Hamas began announcing its election results that March.Nidal Al-mughrabi, “Sinwar re-elected as Hamas chief in Gaza,” Reuters, March 10, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/sinwar-re-elected-hamas-chief-gaza-2021-03-10/. Former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was elected to lead Hamas’s foreign office and serve as Hamas’s deputy leader that April.Nidal Al-mughrabi, “Hamas elects former chief Meshaal to head diaspora office,” Reuters, April 12, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-elects-former-chief-meshaal-head-diaspora-office-2021-04-12/; Aaron Boxerman, “Khaled Mashaal tapped as Hamas’s diaspora director,” Times of Israel, April 12, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/khaled-mashaal-tapped-as-hamass-international-director/. It is unclear when, but Arouri relocated to Turkey prior to November 2021. After Israeli forces broke up a Hamas cell in the West Bank on November 22, Israel’s Shin Bet security service accused Arouri and Turkey-based Hamas operative Zacharia Najib—released during the 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner swap—of directing the cell from Turkey.Judah Ari Gross, “Shin Bet: Forces thwart major Hamas terror plans, nab more than 50 cell members,” Times of Israel, November 22, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-forces-thwart-major-hamas-terror-plans-nab-dozens-of-members/; “After Jerusalem killing and 50 terror arrests, Lapid urges Turkey to shut down Hamas,” Times of Israel, November 23, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-jerusalem-killing-and-50-terror-arrests-lapid-urges-turkey-to-shut-down-hamas/.

Arouri reportedly divided his time between Lebanon, Turkey, and Qatar. In December 2021, reports circulated in Israeli media that Hamas had created an official branch in Lebanon led by Arouri. The Lebanon branch was allegedly responsible for a pair of four rockets fired toward Israel from Lebanon during the May 2021 war between Israel and Hamas. According to news reports, Hamas decided to create the Lebanon branch after its 2014 conflict with Israel because Hezbollah declined to intervene on Hamas’s behalf. Based in Tyre, Lebanon, the branch reportedly recruits Palestinians living in Lebanon. Hezbollah has allegedly agreed to allow the branch to operate, though it reportedly maintains veto power over its actions.“Hamas said to form Lebanon branch to open new front against Israel,” Times of Israel, December 3, 2021, https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-said-to-form-lebanon-branch-to-open-new-front-against-israel/.

Following an August 22, 2023, Israeli security cabinet meeting to discuss a series of recent terror attacks, Netanyahu announced the cabinet agreed on “a series of decisions to target terrorists and authorized the prime minister and the defense minister to act on the matter.”“Security cabinet meets as far-right advocates sharp crackdown in West Bank,” Times of Israel, August 22, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/security-cabinet-meets-as-far-right-advocates-sharp-crackdown-in-west-bank/. The government did not provide further details, but on August 27 Arouri warned Israel against resuming targeted assassinations of terrorist leaders. Arouri said resuming the assassinations could spark a regional war. He also said Hamas is preparing for a regional war alongside other parties, noting recent threats by Hezbollah leaders against Israel.“Senior Hamas official threatens ‘regional war’ if Israel resumes targeted killings,” Times of Israel, August 27, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-hamas-official-threatens-regional-war-if-israel-resumes-targeted-killings/. On August 28, 2023, reports circulated in Lebanese media that Israel intended to target Hamas leaders—Arouri specifically—inside Lebanon. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned of a strong Hezbollah response if it targets any Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, or Iranian individual in Lebanon. Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan reported on August 28 that an intelligence delegation from a “friendly Arab country” planned to advise Hamas to have Arouri leave Lebanon.Tzvi Joffre, “Nasrallah warns Israel against targeting Hamas leaders in Lebanon,” Jerusalem Post, August 29, 2023, https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-756625. That month, Arouri told Lebanese news channel Al Mayadeen that Hamas was preparing for war. He dismissed threats against his life and warned that Israel would face an unprecedented defeat at the hands of the resistance axis.“Exclusive - Al Arouri: Resistance Axis preparing for all-out war,” Al Mayadeen, August 25, 2023, https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/exclusive---al-arouri:-resistance-axis-preparing-for-all-out.

Arouri’s prediction of a regional war manifested on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise mass attack on Israel. Hamas sent hundreds of fighters into Israeli towns and military bases within 15 miles of the Gaza border while simultaneously launching a rocket barrage toward Israel.Josef Federman and Issam Adwan, “Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation,” Associated Press, October 7, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2; Josef Federman and Issam Adwan, “Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation,” Associated Press, October 7, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2. Hamas labeled the attack Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.“Operation Al Aqsa Flood,” Hamas Online Telegram channel, October 7, 2023. As Hamas forces continued attacking Israel that day, Arouri told Al Jazeera the terrorist group had killed and captured many soldiers. He claimed Hamas had captured enough soldiers to secure the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israel.“Hamas says it has enough Israeli captives to free all Palestinian prisoners,” Al Jazeera, October 7, 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/hamas-says-it-has-enough-israeli-captives-to-free-all-palestinian-prisoners.

Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis in the attack and took hostage approximately 240 Israeli civilians and soldiers in Gaza.Peter Saidel and Dov Lieber, “Hamas Took More Than 200 Hostages From Israel. Here’s What to Know.,” Wall Street Journal, November 6, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-hostages-israel-gaza-41432124; Lauren Frayer, “Israel revises down its death toll from the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks to about 1,200,” NPR, November 11, 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/11/11/1212458974/israel-revises-death-toll-hamas-attacks-oct-7. Speaking to Al Jazeera on October 12, Arouri insisted Hamas had preemptively struck Israel to prevent a larger Israeli attack against Gaza. He denied that Hamas had targeted civilians despite eyewitness accounts and video footage to the contrary. He stated that Hamas saw no alternative to victory.Gianluca Pacchiani, “Hamas deputy chief lies: We don’t target civilians, we only attacked IDF,” Times of Israel, October 12, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-deputy-chief-lies-we-dont-target-civilians-we-only-attacked-idf/; “This is What Happened in the First Three Hours of ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’: Saleh al-Arouri Reveals,” Palestine Chronicle, October 12, 2023, https://www.palestinechronicle.com/this-is-what-happened-in-the-first-three-hours-of-al-aqsa-flood-saleh-al-arouri-reveals/. Written orders recovered from the bodies of dead Hamas fighters as well as video testimonials of Hamas attackers showed that Hamas fighters had been directed to kill as many people as possible. The orders contradicted statements from Hamas leaders that the terrorist group targeted only soldiers.Dov Lieber and David S. Cloud, “Hamas Fighters’ Orders: ‘Kill as Many People as Possible,’” Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2023, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-fighters-orders-kill-as-many-people-as-possible-2a6abff8.

Following the October 7 attack, Arouri remained one of Israel’s top targets, though he reportedly remained in Lebanon. On October 30, Israel demolished a home owned by Arouri in the West Bank town of ‘Arura. The IDF reportedly left a banner comparing Hamas to ISIS.Emanuel Fabian and staff, “IDF demolishes West Bank home of exiled senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri,” Times of Israel, October 31, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-demolishes-west-bank-home-of-exiled-senior-hamas-official-saleh-al-arouri/. On October 25, Arouri and other Hamas leaders met in Lebanon with leaders from Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hezbollah. The three groups reportedly discussed how to achieve victory over Israel. According to a statement on Hezbollah-run and Lebanese state media, the groups sought to achieve “a real victory for the resistance in Gaza and Palestine” and halt Israel’s “treacherous and brutal aggression against our oppressed and steadfast people in Gaza and the West Bank.”“Nasrallah, senior Hamas and PIJ leaders talk of achieving ‘victory’ over Israel,” Times of Israel, October 25, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/nasrallah-senior-hamas-and-pij-leaders-talk-of-achieving-victory-over-israel/.

During a November 22, 2023, press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed he had instructed Israel’s Mossad spy agency to act against all of Hamas’s leaders abroad.“Netanyahu: ‘I’ve told Mossad to act against the heads of Hamas wherever they are,’” Times of Israel, November 22, 2023, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-ive-told-mossad-to-act-against-the-heads-of-hamas-wherever-they-are/. On January 2, 2024, the Hezbollah-linked al-Mayadeen reported that Arouri had been killed in an Israeli drone strike in the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh in Lebanon.Jacob Magid and Emanuel Fabian, “Reports: Hamas deputy leader abroad Saleh al-Arouri killed in alleged Israeli strike in Lebanon,” Times of Israel, January 2, 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-deputy-leader-abroad-saleh-al-arouri-killed-in-alleged-israeli-strike-in-lebanon/; “Israeli strike in Lebanon kills senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri -security sources,” Reuters, January 2, 2024, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-strike-lebanon-kills-senior-hamas-official-saleh-al-arouri-security-2024-01-02/.

Osama bin Laden was a Saudi citizen and co-founder and leader of al-Qaeda, notorious for orchestrating the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Throughout his three-decade-long jihadist career, bin Laden oversaw the planning of numerous largescale terrorist attacks, established a network of al-Qaeda-linked businesses and operatives, and united terrorist groups from the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Between 1996 and 2001, he lived in Afghanistan under the protection of the ruling Taliban and its leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. Bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, in a shootout with U.S. Navy SEALS at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was succeeded as al-Qaeda's emir by Ayman al-Zawahiri.“TEXT: US GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST USAMA BIN LADEN,” United States District Court Southern District of New York, November 6, 1998, https://fas.org/irp/news/1998/11/98110602_nlt.html;
Peter Baker, Helene Cooper, Mark Mazzetti, “Bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says,” New York Times, May 1, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/osama-bin-laden-is-killed.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

Born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1957, Osama bin Laden was the 17^th of 54 children fathered by Saudi billionaire Mohammed bin Laden. The elder bin Laden, an immigrant from Yemen, was the head of a successful construction firm—building many of the palaces and major roads in the kingdom as well as renovating Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque. Osama’s mother, Hamida al-Attas, came from a prominent Syrian Alawite family and was Mohammed bin Laden’s tenth wife. Osama’s parents divorced soon after he was born, and his father died in a plane crash when he was five years old. Nevertheless, Osama would later work for and inherit millions from his father’s business empire.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 75, 84; Victory D. Comras, Flawed Diplomacy: The United Nations & the War on Terrorism, (Washington D.C.: Potomac Books, Inc., 2010), 36.

In high school bin Laden joined the Saudi branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and read the extremist texts of influential Brotherhood ideologue Sayyid Qutb. Bin Laden’s friend at the time, Jamal Khalifa, later said that Qutb “was the one who most affected [his and bin Laden’s] generation.”Alastair Finlan, The Test of Terrorism: Responding to Political Violence in the Twenty-First Century, (London: Routledge: 2015); Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 90-92. In his books, Qutb called for an Islamic “vanguard” to take up jihad against secular governments and eventually resurrect the caliphate. Qutb also re-popularized the Islamic concept of takfir, which permits the labeling of fellow Muslims as apostates, thus justifying their persecution and murder.Alastair Finlan, The Test of Terrorism: Responding to Political Violence in the Twenty-First Century, (London: Routledge: 2015).

In 1974, bin Laden—then a deeply pious 18-year-old—married his 14-year-old Syrian cousin. Bin Laden would go on to marry two more women and father at least 23 children.“The life and death of Osama bin Laden,” Washington Post, May 2, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/world/timeline-life-of-osama-bin-laden/. Between 1976 and 1979, bin Laden studied economics at the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. There, he formed a religious charity on campus, whose members “devoted a lot of time to interpreting the Quran and jihad,” according to bin Laden’s own account.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 90. It was also at that university that bin Laden met Abdullah Azzam, a renowned Palestinian scholar and a professor at the school. Azzam, often referred to as the father of modern jihad, would serve as a spiritual mentor to bin Laden and eventually become a co-founder of al-Qaeda.Aryn Baker, “Who Killed Abdullah Azzam?” Time, June 18, 2009, http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1902809_1902810_1905173-1,00.html;
Asaf Maliach, “Abdullah Azzam, Al-Qaeda, and Hamas,” Institute for National Security Studies, October 2010, Volume 2, No. 2, http://www.inss.org.il/uploadimages/Import/(FILE)1298359986.pdf.

Bin Laden reportedly traveled to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border within two weeks of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 55, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf;
Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 109. Bin Laden acted as a visiting envoy, meeting various militant leaders and devising ways to raise funds for the mujahideen (“holy warriors”). In the early-mid 1980s, he traveled back and forth to Saudi Arabia, where he implored wealthy family members to financially support the Afghan jihad. Bin Laden also brought construction machinery and Arab recruits into Afghanistan, and provided the fighters with logistical and humanitarian aid.Kate Zernike and Michael T. Kaufman, “The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism,” New York Times, May 2, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/02osama-bin-laden-obituary.html; “Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html. Bin Laden’s former professor, Abdullah Azzam, arrived in Peshawar in late 1981, and the two men worked closely to recruit, train, and equip Arab fighters for the jihad.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 111.

In September 1984, bin Laden and Azzam decided to create a formal role for Arabs and other foreign (including Western) fighters in Afghanistan. The pair soon established the Services Bureau (Makhtab al-Khadamat)—an office, printing center, funds repository, and hostel for foreign mujahideen. Bin Laden also began to offer plane tickets, residences, and living expenses for the men, and by 1986 was believed to be paying $25,000 per month to subsidize the fighters.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 117-119.

In 1987, bin Laden met Ayman al-Zawahiri for the first time, in Pakistan.“Timeline of al-Zawahiri,” CNN, June 16, 2011, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/16/timeline-of-al-zawahiri/. At the time, Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, was a key leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ)—a jihadist group responsible for the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.“Timeline of al-Zawahiri,” CNN, June 16, 2011, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/16/timeline-of-al-zawahiri/. Bin Laden and Zawahiri quickly developed a close working relationship, and co-founded al-Qaeda (“the base”) in August 1988 alongside several other Islamist operatives, including Azzam.“Egyptian Islamic Jihad,” Mapping Militant Organizations, last modified October 26, 2015, http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/401;
“A history of terror: Al-Qaeda 1988-2008,” Guardian (London), July 12, 2008, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/13/history.alqaida;
“Tareekhosama/50/Tareekh Osama 122-123,” Intelwire.com, February 24, 2009, http://intelfiles.egoplex.com/1988-08-11-al-qaeda-founding.pdf;
Arabina Acharya, Ten Years After 9/11: Rethinking the Jihadist Threat, (London and New York: Routledge, 2013) 36. The secretary at the meeting noted that “al-Qaeda is basically an organized Islamic faction, its goal is to lift the word of God, to make His religion victorious.”Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 152;
Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror, (New York: Random House, 2002), 103;
“Origins of Al Qaeda,” Global Issues on Terrorism, accessed May 1, 2017, https://sites.stedwards.edu/craigc-culf331111fa2014/group-middle-east-and-north-africa/origins-of-al-qaeda/.

Within a year, however, disagreements arose between bin Laden and Azzam on al-Qaeda’s trajectory. While Azzam envisioned bringing the fight to Israel after Afghanistan, bin Laden preferred to prioritize targeting of the United States and Arab regimes such as the Saudi government.Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Age of Sacred Terror, (New York: Random House, 2002), 103;
“Origins of Al Qaeda,” Global Issues on Terrorism, accessed May 1, 2017, https://sites.stedwards.edu/craigc-culf331111fa2014/group-middle-east-and-north-africa/origins-of-al-qaeda/. The disagreement ended when Azzam was killed in Peshawar on November 24, 1989.Aryn Baker, “Who Killed Abdullah Azzam?,” Time, June 18, 2009, http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1902809_1902810_1905173-1,00.html. Zawahiri continued to direct EIJ until it finally merged with al-Qaeda in 2001.“Country Reports on Terrorism 2008,” U.S. Department of State, April 2009, 305, https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/122599.pdf.

After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in February 1989, bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia emboldened by the perceived triumph of the mujahideen over the Soviets. While working at his father’s construction firm in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden was approached about moving his nascent al-Qaeda to Sudan by Hassan al-Turabi—the then-secretary general of the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 57, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf;
“Timeline: Al Qaeda’s Global Context,” PBS Frontline, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/etc/cron.html;
Lawrence Joffe, “Hassan al-Turabi obituary,” Guardian (London), March 11, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/11/hassan-al-turabi-obituary. Turabi proposed allowing bin Laden use Sudan as al-Qaeda’s base in exchange for the building of roads and support in the ongoing war against Christian separatists in Southern Sudan.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 57, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Bin Laden would not relocate to Sudan until late 1991.“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html.

In August 1990, as U.S. forces arrived in Saudi Arabia to prepare for the first Gulf War, bin Laden urged Saudi King Fahd to expel the Americans and instead allow the veterans of the Afghan war to defend the Arabian Peninsula. King Fahd declined bin Laden’s offer in favor of U.S. and allied forces.Andrew Wander, “A History of Terror: Al-Qaeda 1988-2008,” Guardian (London), July 12, 2008, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/13/history.alqaida. Enraged, bin Laden began to publicly rebuke the monarchy for its alliance with the United States, prompting Saudi Arabia to expel him in April 1991. Bin Laden fled to Afghanistan, and then accepted Sudanese leader Hassan al-Turabi’s offer—arriving in Sudan by 1992.“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html. There, he established legitimate businesses and began to build out the al-Qaeda network.“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html.

The first attack orchestrated by bin Laden and his associates occurred on December 19, 1992, when a bomb exploded in a hotel room in Aden, Yemen, killing two Australian tourists. Bin Laden had intended for the explosion to kill a unit of U.S. soldiers, but those troops had already left the premises.“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html. Attacks perpetrated by al-Qaeda operatives and like-minded jihadist increased in the following years. On February 26, 1993, Ramzi Yousef—a Pakistani terrorist not directly linked to al-Qaeda—carried out the Word Trade Center bombing, killing six people and injuring over 1,000 others. While bin Laden praised Yousef’s bombing, he is not believed to have played a role in the attack.Robert Windrem, “Al-Qaida timeline: Plots and attacks,” MSNBC Research and NBC News, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4677978/ns/world_news-hunt_for_al_qaida/t/al-qaida-timeline-plots-attacks/#.WN61y28rKpo.

In April 1994, the Saudi government revoked bin Laden’s citizenship and froze his assets. Undeterred, bin Laden continued to grow his operations, establishing training camps for foreign fighters in Yemen near the Saudi border, according to U.S. intelligence sources.“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html;
“TEXT: US GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST USAMA BIN LADEN,” United States District Court, Southern District of New York, November 6, 1998, https://fas.org/irp/news/1998/11/98110602_nlt.html. Meanwhile, the United States and Saudi Arabia began to pressure Sudan to expel bin Laden, citing his danger to the international community. In May 1996, Turabi reportedly gave bin Laden the choice to stay in Sudan and keep his operations quiet, or to leave the country altogether. Bin Laden opted to relocate his growing jihadist movement, and moved to Afghanistan shortly thereafter.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 252-253; “TEXT: US GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST USAMA BIN LADEN,” United States District Court, Southern District of New York, November 6, 1998, https://fas.org/irp/news/1998/11/98110602_nlt.html;
“Osama Bin Laden: A Chronology of His Political Life,” PBS Frontline, accessed March 15, 2015, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/etc/cron.html.

The Taliban controlled much of Afghanistan by the time bin Laden arrived. The group’s leader, Mullah Omar, allowed bin Laden to settle his family and operatives in the eastern city of Jalalabad. Bin Laden would later pledge allegiance to Mullah Omar in late August or early September 1998, forming a bond between the groups that persists to this day.Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower, (New York: Random House, 2011), 254-255, 326.

Bin Laden issued his first fatwa soon after arriving in Afghanistan. The statement, titled “Declaration of War Against the Americans Who Occupy the Land of the Two Holy Mosques,” was published by London’s Al Quds al Arabi newspaper on August 23, 1996. In it, bin Laden called on Muslims to force the U.S. military out of the Arabian Peninsula; dethrone the Saudi government; punish the U.S. and its allies for their “Crusade” against Islam; and liberate Muslim holy sites.“Bin Laden’s Fatwa,” PBS Newshour, August 23, 1996, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/military-july-dec96-fatwa_1996/;
“Osama bin Laden v. the U.S.: Edits and Statements,” PBS Frontline, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/edicts.html;
“Timeline: Osama bin Laden, over the years,” CNN, May 2, 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/osama.timeline/. Soon after the fatwa’s publication, bin Laden was visited by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)—the uncle of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef. KSM appealed to bin Laden for funds and material to carry out a largescale attack in the United States. Bin Laden agreed to front the funds and asked KSM to join al-Qaeda, though KSM politely declined, deciding to operate independently.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 147, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.

Bin Laden would continue to issue fatwas and orchestrate largescale attacks against U.S. targets. In February 1998, he released his second fatwa—“Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders”—in which he declared it a duty for Muslims to carry out jihad against Islam’s enemies and to expel Americans from the Gulf region.“Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders,” Federation of American Scientists, February 23, 1998, https://fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm. That August, al-Qaeda carried out its then-largest attack when operatives targeted the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The explosions in Nairobi killed 213 people—nearly all Kenyans and 12 Americans—and injured approximately 5,000 others. In Dar es Salaam, the bombs killed 11 people, none of them Americans.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 70, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Three months later, in November 1998, bin Laden was indicted by a U.S. Federal Grand Jury in New York for engaging in a long-term conspiracy to attack U.S. facilities overseas and to kill American citizens.“TEXT: US GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST USAMA BIN LADEN,” United States District Court, Southern District of New York, November 6, 1998, https://fas.org/irp/news/1998/11/98110602_nlt.html;
Bill Mears, “Bin Laden charges formally dropped,” CNN, June 17, 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/17/bin.laden.charges/. At around the same time he was indicted in New York, bin Laden met with KSM in Pakistan and officially approved his plot to weaponize airplanes and crash them into buildings in the United States. The 9/11 plot had begun to take form.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 149; 167, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.

In November 1999, bin Laden received four visitors—Mohamed Atta, Marwan al Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh. The men were members of an al-Qaeda cell in Hamburg, Germany, and were eager to partake in a terrorist attack against the United States. After swearing fealty to bin Laden, the men were instructed to enroll in flight training schools in the West. Bin Laden selected Atta to lead the cell, and revealed to him al-Qaeda’s top targets in the United States: the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Capitol. Atta, Shehhi, and Jarrah would become hijacker-pilots in the 9/11 attacks, whereas Shibh would serve as a key facilitator in the attacks.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 166; 242, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Shibh is currently held by the United States as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.“Ramzi Bin al Shibh: Guantanamo Docket,” New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/guantanamo/detainees/10013-ramzi-bin-al-shibh.

On October 12, 2000, in al-Qaeda’s last largescale attack before 9/11, two al-Qaeda suicide bombers steered a small boat laden with 400 to 700 pounds of explosives into the port side of the USS Cole while it refueled in Aden, Yemen. The explosion killed 17 U.S. sailors.“USS Cole Bombing Fast Facts,” CNN, October 6, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/18/world/meast/uss-cole-bombing-fast-facts/. The attack was masterminded by al-Qaeda operative Abd Rahim al-Nashiri upon instructions from bin Laden to target U.S. warships in Yemen’s southern port of Aden.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): [152], http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.

On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda operatives hijacked U.S. commercial airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked airplane crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 civilians were killed and thousands more injured.“Timeline: Al-Qaeda,” BBC News, September 4, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3618762.stm. Within weeks, the U.S. launched military operations against al-Qaeda’s suspected safe havens in Afghanistan. That December, bin Laden is believed to have escaped U.S. bombing in Afghanistan’s Tora Bora Mountains and fled to Pakistan.Kate Zernike and Michael T. Kaufman, “The Most Wanted Face of Terrorism,” New York Times, May 2, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/02osama-bin-laden-obituary.html.

Bin Laden did not claim responsibility for the 9/11 attacks until October 2004, when he appeared in a video released by Al Jazeera.“Bin Laden: 'Your security is in your own hands,'” CNN, October 29, 2004, http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/29/bin.laden.transcript/. “We should destroy towers in America [because] we are a free people…and we want to regain the freedom of our nation,” bin Laden reasoned. The al-Qaeda leader further said that America might avoid another 9/11-style attack if it stopped compromising the “security” of Muslims, warning, “As you undermine our security we undermine yours.”“Bin Laden claims responsibility for 9/11,” CBC News, October 29, 2004, http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/bin-laden-claims-responsibility-for-9-11-1.513654;
“Bin Laden Claims Responsibility for 9/11,” Fox News, October 30, 2004, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/10/30/bin-laden-claims-responsibility-for-11.html.

Bin Laden is believed to have settled in a compound in Abbottabad during the 2000s, though there is little publically available information on his whereabouts during this time. In 2009, the U.S. government announced that the al-Qaeda leader was most likely living on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, but conceded that it had a “lack of intelligence” regarding his exact location.“Osama bin Laden Fast Facts,” CNN, May 2, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/world/osama-bin-laden-fast-facts/. Living as an elusive fugitive, bin Laden was still able to release videos threatening the West and claim responsibility for al-Qaeda-linked attacks. In January 2010, bin Laden claimed responsibility for the failed bombing of a civilian airliner over Detroit, Michigan, on December 25, 2009. Perpetrated by “underwear bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the attack had been planned by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.Scott Shane and Eric Lipton, “Passengers’ Quick Action Halted Attack,” New York Times, December 26, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/us/27plane.html.

In the early morning of May 2, 2011, a small team of U.S. Navy SEALS entered the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden was living and killed the 54-year-old al-Qaeda leader in a shootout. His body was transported to the U.S. aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson and given an Islamic burial at sea within 24 hours.“Osama Bin Laden: What happened to his body?,” BBC News, May 2, 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13261680. In a televised statement on the night of May 2, President Barack Obama referred to bin Laden as al-Qaeda’s “leader and symbol” and warned that bin Laden’s death did “not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.”Peter Baker, Helene Cooper, Mark Mazzetti, “Bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says,” New York Times, May 1, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/osama-bin-laden-is-killed.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0;
“Osama bin Laden Fast Facts,” CNN, May 2, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/world/osama-bin-laden-fast-facts/.

Bin Laden’s burial at sea took place within 24 hours of his death with proper religious rites, in accordance with Islamic law. Some Islamic scholars have argued there was no reason to give bin Laden a burial at sea instead of turning the body over to family or even his supporters for a proper burial. Dubai’s grand mufti Mohammed al-Qubaisi said at the time a sea burial was inappropriate and Islamic law required digging a simple grave if nobody was available to take custody of the body. U.S. officials, however, said there was not enough time to negotiate with other countries to take custody of the body. They further said the burial at sea took place to avoid bin Laden’s grave becoming a shrine.“Osama Bin Laden: What happened to his body?,” BBC News, May 2, 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13261680.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, previously al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, was elevated to leader of the international terror group six weeks after bin Laden’s death. Zawahiri vowed to continue waging jihad against “crusader America and its servant Israel, and whoever supports them.”“Al-Qaeda’s remaining leaders,” BBC news, June 16, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11489337. Bin Laden’s son Hamza bin laden was a key al-Qaeda operative being groomed for a senior leadership role prior to his own death in a 2019 U.S. counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.Dugald McConnell and Brian Todd, “Latest al Qaeda propaganda highlights bin Laden’s son,” CNN, May 15, 2017,  http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/middleeast/al-qaeda-bin-laden-son/index.html; Alex Horton, “Osama bin Laden’s son, once the probable heir to al-Qaeda leadership, killed in U.S. operation, Trump confirms,” Washington Post, September 14, 2019, https://beta.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/09/14/hamza-bin-laden-once-possible-heir-al-qaeda-was-killed-us-operation-trump-says/. Zawahiri reportedly died in November 2020 from asthma, but his death remains unconfirmed by al-Qaeda.Baker Atyani and Sayed Salahuddin, “Al-Qaeda chief Zawahiri has died in Afghanistan — sources,” Arab News, November 20, 2020, https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1765746/world; Tim Stickings, “Al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has died, reports claim terror chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has died in Afghanistan from ‘asthma-related breathing issues,’” Daily Mail (London), November 20, 2020, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8970231/Al-Qaedas-leader-Ayman-al-Zawahiri-died-reports-claim.html.

Mustafa Kamel Mustafa (“Abu Hamza al-Masri” or “Abu Hamza”) is an Egyptian-British citizen and U.S.- and U.N.-sanctioned terrorist associated with al-Qaeda. He was convicted in the United States on multiple counts, including his role in a 1998 hostage-taking attack in Yemen, his support for terrorist operatives in Afghanistan, and for plotting to establish a U.S.-based al-Qaeda training camp. A longtime preacher at the Finsbury Park mosque in London, Abu Hamza was arrested in the United Kingdom in 2004 and extradited to the United States in 2012. He is currently serving two life sentences without parole at a maximum security prison in Colorado.“Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, A/k/a “Abu Hamza,” Convicted Of 11 Terrorism Charges In Manhattan Federal Court,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 19, 2014, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/mustafa-kamel-mustafa-aka-abu-hamza-convicted-11-terrorism-charges-manhattan-federal;
Nicky Woolf, “Abu Hamza Sentenced to Life in Prison on US Terrorism Conviction,” Guardian (London), January 9, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/09/abu-hamza-sentenced-life-impisonment-terrorism-conviction.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1958, Abu Hamza began to show an interest in religion in the early 1980s while living on a student visa in England. There, he studied civil engineering at Brighton Polytechnic College and worked at a nightclub in London. While in England, Abu Hamza met, and ultimately married, a British woman who reportedly encouraged him to become more religiously observant.“Abu Hamza Profile,” BBC News, January 9, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11701269.

In 1987, Abu Hamza traveled to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he met with the spiritual leader of the Afghan Mujahideen movement, Abdullah Azzam.Duncan Gardham, “Nightclub Bouncer Who Became the Cleric of Hate,” Telegraph (London), February 8, 2006, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509940/Nightclub-bouncer-who-became-the-cleric-of-hate.html. By his own account, the meeting with Azzam ultimately inspired Abu Hamza to leave England in 1991 and travel to Afghanistan, where he worked on a Saudi-funded project that built factories, schools, and mosques, and provided resources to refugees in the aftermath of the Soviet-Afghan War.Duncan Gardham, “Nightclub Bouncer Who Became the Cleric of Hate,” Telegraph (London), February 8, 2006, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509940/Nightclub-bouncer-who-became-the-cleric-of-hate.html. While traveling to the region, Abu Hamza lost his eye and both of his hands, though the details of his injury are not consistent. At one point, Abu Hamza claimed to have sustained the injury while participating in a demining project in Jalalabad.“Controversial Cleric of UK Mosque,” CNN, April 1, 2003, http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/01/20/uk.hamzaprofile/. At his U.S. trial, however, Abu Hamza said that he was wounded while handling explosives with the Pakistani military in Lahore.“Abu Hamza Profile,” BBC News, January 9, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11701269.

Abu Hamza returned to England for medical treatment in 1993. Two years later, however, he left England again, this time to fight against the Serbs and Croats in Bosnia. Upon returning to London in 1995, Abu Hamza quickly became a “leading figure” in the British Islamist scene, making a name for himself by preaching and handing out leaflets urging violent jihad in the Middle East. It was during this time that Abu Hamza took up the nickname “Abu Hamza al-Masri” (“Egyptian father of the lion hunter”), and helped to organize an Islamist extremist group, the Saviours of Shariah (Islamic law).Duncan Gardham, “Nightclub Bouncer Who Became the Cleric of Hate,” Telegraph (London), February 8, 2006, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509940/Nightclub-bouncer-who-became-the-cleric-of-hate.html. In 1997, Abu Hamza began preaching at the Finsbury Park mosque in London, where he started to amass a following. In interviews in the 1990s, Hamza declared his support for the murder of non-Muslim tourists visiting countries in the Middle East. According to Abu Hamza’s own account, MI5 first contacted him around this time, after terrorists—reportedly linked to Egyptian terrorist group al-Gamaa al-Islamiya—killed 68 tourists in Luxor, Egypt, in November 1997.“Abu Hamza Profile,” BBC News, January 9, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11701269;
“Designation of 10 Terrorist Financiers Fact Sheet,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 19, 2002, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/po3014.aspx;
“1997: Egyptian Militants Kill Tourists at Luxor,” BBC News, accessed April 21, 2017, http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/17/newsid_2519000/2519581.stm.

In subsequent years, Abu Hamza gained control over the Finsbury Park mosque, delivering almost all of the sermons. According to reports, Abu Hamza’s supporters would often bar entry to the mosque to outsiders and anyone whom Abu Hamza deemed a threat.“Abu Hamza Profile,” BBC News, January 9, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11701269. During this time, Abu Hamza associated remotely with Yemen-based extremist figures, even claiming to serve as the “legal officer” for the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Army of Aden terrorist group.“Designation of 10 Terrorist Financiers Fact Sheet,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 19, 2002, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/po3014.aspx. Abu Hamza was contacted by British police in 1999 for suspected ties to bomb plots in Yemen.“Abu Hamza Profile,” BBC News, January 9, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11701269.

In late December 1998, Abu Hamza participated remotely in a hostage-taking operation in Yemen that resulted in four deaths. Prior to the attack, Abu Hamza had provided the lead abductor with a satellite phone, using it to speak with the abductor both before and during the operation. On December 28, abductors stormed a caravan carrying 16 tourists, taking them hostage by force. During the attack, Abu Hamza agreed to act as an intermediary on behalf of the abductors, and continued to provide advice to the abductors over the phone.“Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, A/k/a “Abu Hamza,” Convicted Of 11 Terrorism Charges In Manhattan Federal Court,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 19, 2014, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/mustafa-kamel-mustafa-aka-abu-hamza-convicted-11-terrorism-charges-manhattan-federal. On December 29, during a rescue attempt by the Yemeni military, the abductors used the hostages as human shields, resulting in the deaths of four hostages and the injury of several others.“United States of America v. Mustafa Kamel Mustafa: Indictment,” U.S. Department of Justice, April 19, 2004, https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nys/pressreleases/October12/ChargingDocs/Mustafa,%20Mustafa%20Indictment.pdf. The attack was claimed by the Islamic Army of Aden, which would also claim credit for the USS Cole bombing in 2000.“Designation of 10 Terrorist Financiers Fact Sheet,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 19, 2002, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/po3014.aspx.

Abu Hamza continued to preach at the Finsbury Park mosque, all the while supporting terrorist operations abroad. In 1999, Abu Hamza and several co-conspirators attempted to establish an al-Qaeda training camp in the United States, based in Bly, Oregon. In late November 1999, Abu Hamza dispatched several British-based al-Qaeda operatives to establish the camp. One of the operatives, Oussama Abdullah Kassir, brought with him a manual on the use of sarin nerve gas.“Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, A/k/a “Abu Hamza,” Convicted Of 11 Terrorism Charges In Manhattan Federal Court,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 19, 2014, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/mustafa-kamel-mustafa-aka-abu-hamza-convicted-11-terrorism-charges-manhattan-federal. As part of the conspiracy, U.S.-based al-Qaeda operatives began to stockpile weapons and ammunition, according to U.S. court documents.“United States of America v. Mustafa Kamel Mustafa: Indictment,” U.S. Department of Justice, April 19, 2004, 6, https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nys/pressreleases/October12/ChargingDocs/Mustafa,%20Mustafa%20Indictment.pdf. Meanwhile, Abu Hamza also continued to work as a facilitator for foreign fighters. In November 2000, Abu Hamza began arranging safehouses and lodging in Pakistan for foreign fighters traveling to Afghanistan.“United States of America v. Mustafa Kamel Mustafa: Indictment,” U.S. Department of Justice, April 19, 2004, 11, https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nys/pressreleases/October12/ChargingDocs/Mustafa,%20Mustafa%20Indictment.pdf.

The Islamic Army of Aden—which claimed credit for the 1998 hostage attack—was listed by the United Nations as an organization affiliated with al-Qaeda in October 2001, after the United States designated the group as a financier of terrorism. Months later, on April 19, 2002, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Abu Hamza as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in accordance with Executive Order 13224.“Designation of 10 Terrorist Financiers Fact Sheet,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 19, 2002, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/po3014.aspx. The U.N. Security Council added Abu Hamza to its list of individuals associated with al-Qaeda shortly thereafter.“Consolidated United Nations Security Council Sanctions List,” United Nations Security Council, accessed April 7, 2017, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/un-sc-consolidated-list. In explaining the reason for listing Abu Hamza, the United Nations noted that he was responsible for “recruiting” and “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts” by the Islamic Army of Aden.“Ibrahim, Mostafa Kamel Mostafa,” Interpol, accessed April 13, 2017, https://www.interpol.int/en/notice/search/un/1419422. Despite the listing, Abu Hamza continued to preach openly in London for several years. In 2002, on the first anniversary of al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks, Abu Hamza co-organized a conference at the Finsbury Park mosque. During the conference, the speakers reportedly praised the 9/11 hijackers.“Abu Hamza Profile,” BBC News, January 9, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11701269. British authorities raided the mosque in January 2003 after discovering a terrorist plot, and seized weapons and hundreds of suspected forged or stolen identity documents and credit cards. Abu Hamza was not arrested despite the raid and temporary closure of the Finsbury Park mosque, as well as the arrest of several of its members. He continued to preach openly in London, often in the street directly facing the mosque.Duncan Gardham, “Nightclub Bouncer Who Became the Cleric of Hate,” Telegraph (London), February 8, 2006, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509940/Nightclub-bouncer-who-became-the-cleric-of-hate.html;
John Steele, Sean O’Neill, Richard Alleyne, and Sue Clough, “Police Seize Weapons in Mosque Raid,” Telegraph (London), January 21, 2003, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1419533/Police-seize-weapons-in-mosque-raid.html.

Abu Hamza was arrested by British authorities in May 2004 after the United States requested his extradition to face charges. By that point, Abu Hamza had been stripped of his citizenship, according to U.K. Home Secretary David Blunkett.“Ibrahim, Mostafa Kamel Mostafa,” Interpol, accessed April 13, 2017, https://www.interpol.int/en/notice/search/un/1419422;
Duncan Gardham, “Nightclub Bouncer Who Became the Cleric of Hate,” Telegraph (London), February 8, 2006, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1509940/Nightclub-bouncer-who-became-the-cleric-of-hate.html. Despite the United States’ extradition request, Abu Hamza was first tried in the United Kingdom. In February 2006, he was sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted on sixteen criminal counts, including six counts of soliciting to murder and three counts of intending to stir up racial hatred.“Ibrahim, Mostafa Kamel Mostafa,” Interpol, accessed April 13, 2017, https://www.interpol.int/en/notice/search/un/1419422. In October 2012, after an eight-year legal battle, Abu Hamza was extradited to the United States to face terrorism-related charges. He was convicted in May 2014 of 11 terrorism-related charges and sentenced in January 2015 to life in prison without parole.“Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, A/k/a “Abu Hamza,” Convicted Of 11 Terrorism Charges In Manhattan Federal Court,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 19, 2014, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/mustafa-kamel-mustafa-aka-abu-hamza-convicted-11-terrorism-charges-manhattan-federal;
Joseph Ax, “London cleric Abu Hamza sentenced to life in U.S. prison,” Reuters, January 9, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-imam-idUSKBN0KI0DA20150109.

In August 2020, Abu Hamza filed a lawsuit against the U.S. attorney general over the allegedly “cruel” conditions of his imprisonment. He claimed that the government has denied him family visits for the past eight years, and that he receives no natural light in his cell. Abu Hamza also alleged that the removal of his hooks “has left him having to tear open food packages with his rotting teeth.” He claimed that the conditions have caused him “stress and anxiety.”Zoe Tidman, “Abu Hamza Sues US Over ‘Cruel’ Prison Conditions As He Claims His Hooks Which Replace Forearms Have Been Removed,” Independent (London), August 30, 2020, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/abu-hamza-lawsuit-us-prison-conditions-hate-preacher-finsbury-park-mosque-a9696281.html; Dipesh Gadher, “Abu Hamza Sues US Over ‘Degrading’ Jail and his Rotting Teeth,” Times, August 29, 2020, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/abu-hamza-sues-us-over-degrading-jail-and-his-rotting-teeth-ptr5zjm00.

Abd al-Aziz bin Khalifa al-Attiyah is a Qatari-based fundraiser and financier for al-Qaeda and its then-formal Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front.Andrew Gilligan, “Minister’s family ties to terror,” Telegraph (London), November 1, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11203140/Ministers-family-ties-to-terror.html. According to Lebanese and American authorities, Attiyah has funneled money to al-Qaeda and Nusra Front operatives in Lebanon. Attiyah has also voiced support for Osama bin Laden, the Nusra Front, and ISIS on Twitter. He is believed to live in Qatar.Andrew Gilligan, “Minister’s family ties to terror,” Telegraph (London), November 1, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11203140/Ministers-family-ties-to-terror.html.

In 2012, the United States informed Lebanese officials that Attiyah was using the country as a base in order to pass funds to the Nusra Front.Jay Solomon and Nour Malas, “Qatar’s Ties to Militants Strain Alliance,” Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/qatars-ties-to-militants-strain-alliance-1424748601. Lebanese media reported that Attiyah gave $20,000 to two al-Qaeda operatives—Umar al-Qatari and Shadi al-Mawlawi— in Lebanon in May 2012. Lebanese authorities subsequently arrested Attiyah but he was released back to Qatar shortly thereafter following alleged pressure and lobbying on his behalf by Qatari authorities.Andrew Gilligan, “Minister’s family ties to terror,” Telegraph (London), November 1, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11203140/Ministers-family-ties-to-terror.html. In August 2013, Attiyah reportedly used the now-defunct Madad Ahl Sham social networking website to solicit donations for jihadists in Syria.Andrew Gilligan, “Minister’s family ties to terror,” Telegraph (London), November 1, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11203140/Ministers-family-ties-to-terror.html. In November 2014, a Lebanese court found Attiyah guilty in absentia for providing financial support to terrorist organizations. The Qatari government has dismissed Attiyah’s conviction as politically motivated.Jay Solomon and Nour Malas, “Qatar’s Ties to Militants Strain Alliance,” Wall Street Journal, February 23, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/qatars-ties-to-militants-strain-alliance-1424748601;
Andrew Gilligan, “Minister’s family ties to terror,” Telegraph (London), November 1, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11203140/Ministers-family-ties-to-terror.html.

Attiyah is the cousin of Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah and former Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, who oversees Qatar’s enforcement against terror financing. The Attiyah family is related to Qatar’s ruling Al Thani family and is the second most prominent clan in Qatar.Andrew Gilligan, “Minister’s family ties to terror,” Telegraph (London), November 1, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11203140/Ministers-family-ties-to-terror.html. From 2005 to 2012 Attiyah was a member of Qatar’s Olympic Committee and head of the Qatar Billiards and Snooker Federation. In May 2013—after his temporary arrest in Lebanon—Attiyah was awarded with the committee’s Appreciation Award for Personalities Who Served Sports Movement.Martin Samuel, “Why the shadow of Al-Qaeda hangs over Bernie Ecclestone’s F! plans for Qatar,” Daily Mail (London), November 30, 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2855277/Why-shadow-Al-Qaeda-hangs-Bernie-Ecclestone-s-F1-plans-Qatar.html.

Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Umayr al-Nu’aymi is a U.S.- and U.N.-sanctioned terrorist financier based in Qatar.“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 19, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx. The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned Nu’aymi in December 2013 for providing financial support to al-Qaeda, Lebanon-based Asbat al-Ansar, al-Qaeda in Iraq, and al-Shabab. As a chief al-Qaeda financier, Nu’aymi has channeled millions of dollars from primarily Qatari-based donors to al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, and Iraq.“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 19, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx. In October 2014, the Telegraph dubbed him “one of the world’s most prolific terrorist financiers.”Tim Ross, “Terrorist Paymaster Targeted by Britain,” Telegraph (London), October 18, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11172244/Terrorist-paymaster-targeted-by-Britain.html.

In 2012, Nu’aymi allegedly provided financial support to a charity run by a Yemeni-based terrorist financier. Humayqani then channeled the funds to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).Thomas Joscelyn, “Latest Treasury Designation Targets al Qaeda’s fundraising Network,”  Long War Journal, December 19, 2013, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/12/treasury_designation.php;
“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 19, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx. As of mid-2012, Nu’aymi was allegedly providing approximately $250,000 a month to Mukhtar Robow and Hassan Aweys Ali of al-Shabab. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Nu’aymi ordered the transfer of nearly $600,000 to al-Qaeda in 2013 through Abu-Khalid al-Suri, al-Qaeda’s then-representative in Syria. Nu’aymi allegedly intended to transfer nearly $50,000 more, according to the U.S. Treasury.“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 19, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx.

Prior to engaging in terrorist financing, Nu’aymi taught Islamic studies at Qatar University. Qatari authorities arrested Nu’aymi in June 1998 after he co-signed a public letter in several newspapers criticizing Qatar’s consultative council—which advises the Emir (leader) of Qatar—for allowing alcohol sales in the country and the coeducation of women at Qatar University.“Al Nuaimi was promoting Brotherhood ideals,” Gulf News, December 19, 2013, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/al-nuaimi-was-promoting-brotherhood-ideals-1.1268824;
“Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2001,” U.S. Department of State, March 4, 2002, https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/nea/8292.htm;
“Scholar Who Scolded Government Is Freed,” Chicago Tribune, April 9, 2001, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-04-09/news/0104090202_1_khalifa-al-thani-emir-qatari. Nu’aymi was held for three years without trial, and pardoned in March 2001.“Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2001,” U.S. Department of State, March 4, 2002, https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/nea/8292.htm;
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2001, ” U.S. Department of State, March 4, 2002, https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/nea/8292.htm.

Nu’aymi is also a former president of the Qatar Football Association and a founder of the Sheikh Eid bin Mohammed al-Thani Charitable Association, which has ties to Qatar’s royal family.Robert Mendick, “Al-Qaeda terror financier worked for Qatari government,” Telegraph (London), October 12, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11156327/Al-Qaeda-terror-financier-worked-for-Qatari-government.html;
Gemma Mullin, “Revealed: How Al Qaeda paymasters are 'living freely' in Qatar despite Gulf state's claim that it doesn't support terrorists,” Daily Mail (London), November 15, 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2836320/How-Al-Qaeda-paymasters-living-freely-Qatar-despite-Gulf-state-s-claim-doesn-t-support-terrorists.html. Nu’aymi also reportedly arranged meetings for Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with Yemeni-based Muslim Brotherhood leader Abd al-Majeed al-Zindani and Hamas co-founder Ahmed Yassin. Zindani is also a former mentor of Osama bin Laden. According to reports, Al Thani treated Nu’aymi “like an old friend” after his release from prison in 2001.Eli Lake, “Terrorists for Human Rights,” Daily Beast, December 20, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/20/terrorists-for-human-rights.html.

A year after his release, Nu’aymi reportedly received a promotion at Qatar University. He also became president of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS), which reportedly hosted Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and other Hamas leaders. While with ACRPS, Nu’aymi also launched the Global Anti-Aggression Coalition, a self-declared non-violent NGO that issued statements supporting “resistance” in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, and Somalia.David Andrew Weinberg, “Qatar and Terror Finance Part 1: Negligence,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, December 2014, 7-8, https://www.defenddemocracy.org/content/uploads/publications/Qatar_Part_I.pdf. In 2004, Nu’aymi co-founded al-Karama, a Geneva-based human-rights organization. Nu’aymi served as the group’s president until December 2013, when he was labeled a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the United States.Eli Lake, “Terrorists for Human Rights,” Daily Beast, December 20, 2013, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/20/terrorists-for-human-rights.html.

In December 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury named Nu’aymi an SDGT pursuant to Executive Order 13224.“Treasury Designates Al-Qa’ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, December 19, 2013, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2249.aspx. The U.N. Security Council added Nu’aymi to its Al-Qa’ida sanctions list in September 2014.“Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee List of Individuals with ties to Al-Qaida,” February 19, 2015, http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm. That October, the Telegraph reported that Nu’aymi had dismissed the U.S. and U.N. sanctions as a U.S. retaliation for his criticism of U.S. policy in the region.Robert Mendick, “Al-Qaeda terror financier worked for Qatari government,” Telegraph (London), October 12, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11156327/Al-Qaeda-terror-financier-worked-for-Qatari-government.html;
Gemma Mullin, “Revealed: How Al Qaeda paymasters are 'living freely' in Qatar despite Gulf state's claim that it doesn't support terrorists,” Daily Mail (London), November 15, 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2836320/How-Al-Qaeda-paymasters-living-freely-Qatar-despite-Gulf-state-s-claim-doesn-t-support-terrorists.html.

Abd al-Latif Bin ‘Abdallah Salih Muhammad al-Kawari is a U.S.-sanctioned facilitator, operative, and security official for al-Qaeda based in Qatar.“Treasury Designates Financial Supporters of Al-Qaida and Al-Nusrah Front,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0143.aspx.According to the U.S. government, Kawari worked with fellow operatives in the early 2000s to transfer money to al-Qaeda in Pakistan. In early 2012, Kawari allegedly coordinated the delivery of funds from Qatari financiers to al-Qaeda’s coffers. He was also allegedly responsible for providing the financiers with proof that their funds were delivered to al-Qaeda.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20150805.aspx.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Kawari as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on August 5, 2015.“Treasury Designates Financial Supporters of Al-Qaida and Al-Nusrah Front,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0143.aspx. The U.N. Security Council designated Kawari as an associate of al-Qaeda on September 21, 2015.“QDi.380Abd al-Latif bin Abdallah Salih Muhammad al-Kawari,” U.N. Security Council, September 21, 2015, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/abd-al-latif-bin-abdallah-salih-muhammad-al.

Sa’d bin Sa’d Muhammad Shariyan al-Ka’bi is an internationally designated Qatari-based financier, fundraiser, and ransom facilitator linked to al-Nusra Front.“Treasury Designates Financial Supporters of Al-Qaida and Al-Nusrah Front,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0143.aspx.The subject of U.S. and U.N. sanctions,  Ka’bi worked with sanctioned Kuwaiti-based fundraiser Hamid Hamad Hamid al-’Ali to transfer money to al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s then-formal affiliate in Syria.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20150805.aspx.

In early 2014, Ka’bi used the now defunct Madad Ahl Sham social networking site to fundraise for the Nusra Front.“David Andrew Weinberg, “Analysis: Qatar still negligent on terror finance,” Long War Journal, August 19, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/08/analysis-qatar-still-negligent-on-terror-finance.php. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Ka’bi set up donation campaigns on the online platform to help raise money for weapons and food, allegedly raising a “significant” amount of money for the terrorist group.“Treasury Designates Financial Supporters of Al-Qaida and Al-Nusrah Front,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0143.aspx;
“Getting By With A Little Help From Our Friends, Consortium Against Terrorist Finance, November 23, 2015, http://stopterrorfinance.org/stories/510649691-getting-by-with-a-little-help-from-our-friends;
Taimur Khan, “US names two Qatari nationals as financiers of terrorism,” National (Dubai), August 6, 2015, http://www.thenational.ae/world/americas/us-names-two-qatari-nationals-as-financiers-of-terrorism. While he was running the donation campaigns, Ka’bi also served as a facilitator for an al-Nusra Front hostage exchange, collecting the ransom payment to send in exchange for the release of an unidentified hostage.“Treasury Designates Financial Supporters of Al-Qaida and Al-Nusrah Front,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0143.aspx.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Ka’bi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on August 5, 2015.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, August 5, 2015, http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20150805.aspx. The United Nations followed suit, listing Ka’bi in its Al-Qaida Sanctions list on September 21, 2015.“Sa’d bin Sa’d Muhammad Shariyan al-Ka’bi,” United Nations Security Council, September 21, 2015, https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/sa%27d-bin-sa%27d-muhammad-shariyan-al-ka%27bi.

Following Ka’bi’s designation, a U.S. Treasury official stated that “Qatar has not arrested” him and that “there continues to be concerns about terrorist financing going on in Qatar.”“David Andrew Weinberg, “Analysis: Qatar still negligent on terror finance,” Long War Journal, August 19, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/08/analysis-qatar-still-negligent-on-terror-finance.php;
Taimur Khan, “US names two Qatari nationals as financiers of terrorism,” National (Dubai), August 6, 2015, http://www.thenational.ae/world/americas/us-names-two-qatari-nationals-as-financiers-of-terrorism. The European Union and governments of Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong have also sanctioned Ka’bi.“Notice for the attention of Sa’d Bin Sa’d Muhammad Shariyan Al-Ka’bi,” European Union, September 30, 2015, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52015XC0930(03);
“Gazette of Pakistan – S.R.O. No. 967(I)2015,” Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, October 6, 2015, http://cdcpakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Gazette-Of-Pakistan-%E2%80%93-S.R.O-No-967I2015.compressed.pdf;
“Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK,” Government of the United Kingdom, accessed December 29, 2016, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/578910/The_ISIL__Da_esh__and_Al-Qaida_organisations.pdf;
“United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance,” Hong Kong Government Logistics Department, February 26, 2016, http://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/pdf/20162008/egn201620081004.pdf.

Abdallah Ghanim Mafuz Muslim al-Khawar is a U.S.-designated al-Qaeda facilitator and financier based in Qatar.“Treasury Targets Key Al-Qa’ida Funding and Support Network Using Iran as a Critical Transit Point,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 28, 2011, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1261.aspx. According to a 2011 statement by the U.S. Treasury Department, Khawar’s network “serves as the core pipeline through which al-Qa’ida moves money, facilitators and operatives from across the Middle East to South Asia.”“Treasury Targets Key Al-Qa’ida Funding and Support Network Using Iran as a Critical Transit Point,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 28, 2011, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1261.aspx. Khawar has worked with U.S.-designated al-Qaeda financier Salim Hasan Khalifa Rashid al-Kuwari to deliver money, messages, and other material support to al-Qaeda leaders in Iran. Khawar has also facilitated the travel of al-Qaeda recruits to Afghanistan to partake in terrorist activities.“Treasury Targets Key Al-Qa’ida Funding and Support Network Using Iran as a Critical Transit Point,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 28, 2011, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1261.aspx.

Despite several run-ins with Qatari, UAE, and Saudi law enforcement between 2009 and 2011, Khawar is believed to operate freely in Qatar. Khwar was last known to work with the al-Qaeda network headed by Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, an Iranian-based al-Qaeda facilitator who operates under an agreement between al-Qaeda and the Iranian government.“Treasury Targets Key Al-Qa’ida Funding and Support Network Using Iran as a Critical Transit Point,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 28, 2011, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1261.aspx. According to Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior website, Khawar still had an active Qatari passport and ID card as of December 2014.David Andrew Weinberg, “Qatar and Terror Finance,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, December 2014, https://www.defenddemocracy.org/content/uploads/publications/Qatar_Part_I.pdf.

On June 8, 2017, the governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain designated Khawar as a terrorist alongside 58 other individuals and 12 organizations. The designation was based on Khawar’s participation in “funding, communication, and other support to al-Qaida elements in Iran,” as well as his efforts to “facilitate the travel of al-Qaida members traveling to Afghanistan.”“Qatar-Linked People, Groups on Terror List,” Gulf News, June 9, 2017, https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/qatar/qatar-linked-people-groups-on-terror-list-1.2040686#.