Talaat Fahmi is a former media spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood. In this capacity, Fahmi released numerous statements on behalf of the Brotherhood, including referring to the Egyptian government in June 2016 as the “Zionists’ henchmen.”“Muslim Brotherhood Media Spokesman: No Reconciliation with Criminal Coup Regime,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, June 21, 2016, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32571;
“Muslim Brotherhood Media Spokesman: No Reconciliation with Criminal Coup Regime,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, June 21, 2016, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32571. Fahmi is reportedly based in Turkey and was supported by the older generation of Brotherhood leaders.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164. He was dismissed as the group’s spokesman in October 2021“Muslim Brotherhood renews confidence in deputy head Mounir,” Middle East Monitor, October 14, 2021, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211014-muslim-brotherhood-renews-confidence-in-deputy-head-mounir/.

In December 2015, Brotherhood members in London announced Fahmi’s appointment as spokesman, dismissing acting spokesman Mohamed Montasser.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164. Exiled members of the Brotherhood reportedly supported Fahmi’s promotion while the Brotherhood’s Egypt-based youth wing preferred Montasser.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.l; “Egypt… “The Muslim Brotherhood” Splits into Two Groups,” Al Arabiya, December 20, 1016, http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2016/12/20/مصر-الإخوان-المسلمين-تتفكك-إلى-جماعتين-.html. Following Fahmi’s appointment, Montasser and his followers formed a Brotherhood offshoot outside the control of the Brotherhood’s old leadership.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.l; “Egypt… “The Muslim Brotherhood” Splits into Two Groups,” Al Arabiya, December 20, 1016, http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2016/12/20/مصر-الإخوان-المسلمين-تتفكك-إلى-جماعتين-.html. In December 2016, Montasser made statements concerning the Brotherhood’s internal affairs and claimed to speak on behalf of the Brotherhood’s youth wing.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.l; “Egypt… “The Muslim Brotherhood” Splits into Two Groups,” Al-Arabiya, December 20, 1016, http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2016/12/20/مصر-الإخوان-المسلمين-تتفكك-إلى-جماعتين-.html. In response, Fahmi claimed that Montasser was dismissed on December 14, 2015, and that the former spokesman does not speak for Brotherhood members in Egypt or abroad.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.l; “Egypt… “The Muslim Brotherhood” Splits into Two Groups,” Al Arabiya, December 20, 1016, http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2016/12/20/مصر-الإخوان-المسلمين-تتفكك-إلى-جماعتين-.html.

Despite reports of early rifts over Fahmi’s promotion, Ikhwanweb, the Muslim Brotherhood’s website, continues to refer to Fahmi as the official spokesman.“Muslim Brotherhood Spokesman Statement on the Arrest of Three Women in Alexandria, Monday,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, November 30, 2017, ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32863.

On October 13, 2021, members of the General Shura Council of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Abroad released a statement dismissing Fahmi as the Brotherhood’s spokesman. Council members renewed their “pledge of allegiance” to the Brotherhood’s general guide and his deputy and acting director, Ibrahim Mounir.“Muslim Brotherhood renews confidence in deputy head Mounir,” Middle East Monitor, October 14, 2021, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211014-muslim-brotherhood-renews-confidence-in-deputy-head-mounir/. The announcement followed an October 11 announcement by Mounir suspending six senior Brotherhood members who rejected the results of the Brotherhood’s internal elections.“Muslim Brotherhood suspends 6 senior members,” Middle East Monitor, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211011-muslim-brotherhood-suspends-6-senior-members/. The council says Mounir was now the only spokesman for the group, though a replacement for Fahmi would be selected.“Muslim Brotherhood renews confidence in deputy head Mounir,” Middle East Monitor, October 14, 2021, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211014-muslim-brotherhood-renews-confidence-in-deputy-head-mounir/.

Mohamed Montasser served as a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt from January 2015 until December 2017.Mohamed Montasser, “The Text of Mohamed Montasser’s Resignation from “Media Spokesman” to the General Office,” Ikhwanonline, December 21, 2016, https://ikhwanonline.info/%D9%86%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%87%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%83%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB/. His name is believed to be an alias and his true identity is unknown.Eric Trager and Marina Shalabi, “The Brotherhood Breaks Down,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, January 17, 2016, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-brotherhood-breaks-down;
Samuel Tadros, “The Brotherhood Divided,” Hudson Institute, August 20, 2015, http://www.hudson.org/research/11530-the-brotherhood-divided;
Abdelrahhman Ayyash and Victor J. Willi, “The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in 2016,” German Council on Foreign Relations, March 2016, https://dgap.org/en/article/getFullPDF/27762. Montasser is part of the Brotherhood’s youth wing, which promotes a violent response to the perceived repression of the Brotherhood.Mostafa Hashem, “The Great Brotherhood Divide,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/62942.

The Brotherhood’s January 2015 press release announcing Montasser’s appointment as spokesman noted that he was “from Egypt’s young revolutionary generation… chosen by the Brotherhood in its effort to further focus attention on revolutionary action and youth empowerment….”Rina Asrina, “Muslim Brotherhood Appoints New Spokesman,” Mi’raj Islamic News Agency, January 25, 2015, http://www.mirajnews.com/muslim-brotherhood-mohamed-montasser-spokesman/54446. According to the release, his appointment also represented an opportunity “to further focus attention on revolutionary action and youth empowerment,” adding, “[t]here is no retreat from the revolutionary path.”“Mohamed Montasser New Muslim Brotherhood Spokesman,” Muslim Brotherhood Website, January 25, 2015, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=31980.

Montasser has accused the Brotherhood’s old guard of an ineffective, rigid leadership style, while challenging the insistence on non-violent protests.Mokhtar Awad, “Egypt’s New Radicalism: The Muslim Brotherhood and Jihad,” Foreign Affairs, February 4, 2016, https://cchs.gwu.edu/sites/cchs.gwu.edu/files/downloads/Egypt%27s%20New%20Radicalism.pdf. In December 2015, Brotherhood members in London issued a statement dismissing Montasser from his position, and announced Talaat Fahmi as the group’s new spokesman. The London-based Brotherhood members accused Montasser of violating internal regulations and giving statements to the media without the approval of the Brotherhood’s senior leadership.Khaled Dawoud, “The Brotherhood in the Shadow of the January 25, Anniversary,” Atlantic Council, January 14, 2016, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/component/content/article?id=28104:the-brotherhood-in-the-shadow-of-the-january-25-anniversary;
Mamoon Alabbasi, “Rift widens in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman's sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164. However, the Brotherhood’s Administrative Committee in Egypt insisted three days later that leaders outside of Egypt were not authorized to make such decisions.Khaled Dawoud, “The Brotherhood in the Shadow of the January 25, Anniversary,” Atlantic Council, January 14, 2016, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/component/content/article?id=28104:the-brotherhood-in-the-shadow-of-the-january-25-anniversary;
Mamoon Alabbasi, “Rift widens in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman's sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164. Additionally, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Arabic website, IkhwanOnline, refused to publish the statement announcing Montasser’s removal.Khaled Dawoud, “The Brotherhood in the Shadow of the January 25, Anniversary,” Atlantic Council, January 14, 2016, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/component/content/article?id=28104:the-brotherhood-in-the-shadow-of-the-january-25-anniversary;
Mamoon Alabbasi, “Rift widens in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman's sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.

The incident deepened fissures between the old and new guard. Exiled members of the Brotherhood reportedly supported Fahmi’s promotion while the Brotherhood’s Egypt-based youth wing preferred Montasser.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.l; “Egypt… “The Muslim Brotherhood” Splits into Two Groups,” Al Arabiya, December 20, 2016, http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2016/12/20/مصر-الإخوان-المسلمين-تتفكك-إلى-جماعتين-.html. In December 2015, now-deceased guidance bureau member Mohammed Kamal called the dismissal “illegitimate.”Mohammed Kamal, “Members of the Muslim Brotherhood: Stop Filtering the Accounts,” Al Jazeera, December 16, 2015, http://mubasher.aljazeera.net/news/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%83%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81-%D8%A3%D8%B9%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A8%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA. The last statement on Ikhwanweb to mention Montasser as the official spokesman is dated December 4, 2015,“Egpyt Muslim Brotherhood Spokesman: Changes to Better Challenge Illegitimate Coup Regime,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, December 4, 2015, http://ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32363&ref=search.php. but Montasser continued to act as the Brotherhood’s spokesman.Khaled Dawoud, “The Brotherhood in the Shadow of the January 25, Anniversary,” Atlantic Council, January 14, 2016, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/component/content/article?id=28104:the-brotherhood-in-the-shadow-of-the-january-25-anniversary;
Mamoon Alabbasi, “Rift widens in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman's sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164. Following Fahmi’s appointment, Montasser and Kamal formed a Brotherhood youth wing outside the control of the Brotherhood’s old leadership.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye, December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.l; “Egypt… “The Muslim Brotherhood” Splits into Two Groups,” Al Arabiya, December 20, 1016, http://www.alarabiya.net/ar/arab-and-world/egypt/2016/12/20/مصر-الإخوان-المسلمين-تتفكك-إلى-جماعتين-.html. The youth wing is keen to keep the new decentralized structures that have allowed younger Brotherhood members to rise to leadership.Mostafa Hashem, “The Great Brotherhood Divide,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/62942. Though the youth wing advocates a violent response to the ongoing repression of the Brotherhood,Mostafa Hashem, “The Great Brotherhood Divide,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/62942. the faction has denied assertions that it broke away from the movement and reaffirmed its commitment to the Brotherhood’s ideology and goals.Mamoon Alabassi, “Rift widens in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood after spokesman’s sacking,” Middle East Eye (London), December 17, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-split-after-row-over-spokesperson-sacking-966712164.

Montasser officially tendered his resignation as spokesman on December 21, 2017.Mohamed Montasser, “The Text of Mohamed Montasser’s Resignation from “Media Spokesman” to the General Office,” Ikhwanonline, December 21, 2016, https://ikhwanonline.info/%D9%86%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%87%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%83%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB/. In a resignation letter released on Ikhwanonline, Montasser asked God to “grant a good beginning for our group, our homeland, and our ummah,” while acknowledging the “new blood running through the Muslim Brotherhood.”Mohamed Montasser, “The Text of Mohamed Montasser’s Resignation from “Media Spokesman” to the General Office,” Ikhwanonline, December 21, 2016, https://ikhwanonline.info/%D9%86%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%87%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%83%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB/. In his resignation letter, Montasser expressed his continued support for the Brotherhood, writing that the group “did not and will not stop until the oppressors answer for the martyrs, the prisoners, and the tortured.”Mohamed Montasser, “The Text of Mohamed Montasser’s Resignation from “Media Spokesman” to the General Office,” Ikhwanonline, December 21, 2016, https://ikhwanonline.info/%D9%86%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%87%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%83%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB/.

On February 19, 2018, a statement on Ikhwanweb listed Fahmi, Hassan Saleh, Ahmed Assem, and Eman Mahmoud as the group’s official spokespeople.“Statement by the Muslim Brotherhood Regarding Official Media Representation,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, February 19, 2018, http://ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32901.

Mahmoud Hussein is a longtime member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and served as the group’s secretary-general for 10 years.“Dr Mahmoud Hussein appointed Secretary General for the MB in Egypt,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, January 21, 2010, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=22710. Hussein's role as secretary-general was reportedly contested by members of the Brotherhood’s revolutionary youth, but Hussein received continued support from the group’s older generation.Samuel Tadros, “The Brotherhood Divided,” Hudson, August 20, 2015, http://www.hudson.org/research/11530-the-brotherhood-divided. According to some reports, by 2015 Hussein was no longer able to publish on many of the Brotherhood’s official online platforms controlled by the younger, revolutionary wing.Sonia Farid, “Internal conflict: Is the Muslim Brotherhood falling apart?” Al Arabiya, June 2, 2015, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2015/06/02/Internal-conflict-Is-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-falling-apart-.html. Hussein was ousted from his leadership role in 2020 over accusations of embezzling funds.“Muslim Brotherhood suffers internal rifts, dismiss Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein,” Egypt Today, September 16, 2020, https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/91998/Muslim-Brotherhood-suffers-internal-rifts-dismiss-Secretary-General-Mahmoud-Hussein.

Following the November 4, 2022, death of acting supreme guide Ibrahim Mounir, the Brotherhood’s Shura Council named Hussein as the new acting guide.“Acting leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood dies at 85 – statement,” Reuters, November 4, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/acting-leader-egypts-muslim-brotherhood-dies-85-statement-2022-11-04/; Ikhwanweb, Twitter post, November 16, 2022, 9:50 a.m., https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/1592892835082149888; Ikhwanweb, Twitter post, November 16, 2022, 9:51 a.m., https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/1592893075382304769.

Hussein was born in 1947 in the British mandate of Palestine. He became involved with the Brotherhood in the late 1970s while studying in the United States at Iowa City University, where he served as president of the Brotherhood-affiliated Muslim American Youth Association. Hussein returned to Egypt after his studies and quickly advanced in the Brotherhood, becoming a member of the Guidance Office in 2004. He served time in prison between 1995 and 1998 for his involvement with the group.Eric Trager, Katie Kiraly, Cooper Klose, and Elliot Calhoun, “Who’s Who in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, September 2012, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/whos-who-in-the-muslim-brotherhood#MahmoudHussein. Hussein fled to Qatar in July 2013 following then-President Mohammed Morsi’s removal from office.“The Muslim Brotherhood: Sibling Rivalry,” Economist, June 16, 2016, https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21700673-egypts-main-islamist-movement-tearing-itself-apart-sibling-rivalry.

Following Egypt’s coup, the Muslim Brotherhood split into factions between the so-called old guard and a younger generation of Brotherhood activists on the Egyptian streets. Hussein and acting Supreme Guide Mahmoud Ezzat lead the old guard, which has prioritized the group’s survival and advocated a gradualist approach to transforming the Egyptian state.“The Muslim Brotherhood: Sibling Rivalry,” Economist, June 16, 2016, https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21700673-egypts-main-islamist-movement-tearing-itself-apart-sibling-rivalry. Hussein has publicly advocated non-violence, but Egypt analyst Mokhtar Awad of the George Washington University’s Program on Extremism theorizes this is only because of Hussein’s opinion that the Brotherhood is too weak to survive an all-out military confrontation with the Egyptian regime.Mokhtar Awad, “Written Evidence from Mokhtar Awad, Research Fellow at George Washington University,” U.K. Parliament, April 2016, http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/foreign-affairs%20committee/political-islam/written/32560.html. Nevertheless, in an interview with the satellite channel Watan, Hussein suggested that the Brotherhood’s leadership initially adopted a strategy of “disorienting and attrition” in response to the coup, adding to suspicions that the leadership initially supported low-level violence against authorities.Mahmoud Hussein, “Disorienting and Attrition: MB Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein,” Watan TV, January 16, 2017,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAruv43OrPU. However, in that same interview, Hussein insisted that “the methodology of the group is a peaceful methodology and it (the Brotherhood) does not practice violence.”Mahmoud Hussein, “Disorienting and Attrition: MB Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein,” Watan TV, January 16, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAruv43OrPU. Some reports suggested that Hussein’s mixed messaging reflected a perceived Brotherhood strategy of publicly disavowing violence while trying not to push away younger, more extremist elements of the movement.Omar Said, “No United Front: Mixed Messaging from the Muslim Brotherhood on Violence,” Mada Masr (Cairo), April 8, 2015, https://www.madamasr.com/en/2015/04/08/feature/politics/no-united-front-mixed-messages-from-the-muslim-brotherhood-on-violence/.

In May 2015, then-Brotherhood spokesman Mohamed Montasser—loyal to the younger, revolutionary generation—released a statement saying that Hussein was no longer the secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood.Sonia Farid, “Internal conflict: Is the Muslim Brotherhood falling apart?” Al Arabiya, June 2, 2015, http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2015/06/02/Internal-conflict-Is-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-falling-apart-.html. In response, Hussein posted to Facebook, urging the Brotherhood’s older leaders to take control over the group’s decision-making processes.Arwa Ibrahim, “Muslim Brotherhood’s youth wing reaffirms leadership after failed Egypt’s ‘soft coup,’” Middle East Eye, May 29, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-revolutionary-path-1512727265. Numerous media reports noted Hussein’s continued influence and power.Samuel Tadros, “The Brotherhood Divided,” Hudson Institute, August 20, 2015, http://www.hudson.org/research/11530-the-brotherhood-divided.

According to a January 2018 report from a pro-government Egyptian newspaper, Hussein was allegedly devising a strategy to spoil Egypt’s 2018 presidential elections by spreading “news and rumors with the goal of killing Egyptians’ morale.”“We publish the suspicious brotherhood plans to distort Sisi’s image in the Presidential Elections...,” El-Fajr (Cairo), January 12, 2018, http://www.elfagr.com/2921348.

In September 2020, the Brotherhood dismissed Hussein as its secretary-general over accusations Hussein had stolen monetary donations to the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood appointed Helmy al-Gazzar as its new secretary-general.“Muslim Brotherhood suffers internal rifts, dismiss Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein,” Egypt Today, September 16, 2020, https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/91998/Muslim-Brotherhood-suffers-internal-rifts-dismiss-Secretary-General-Mahmoud-Hussein. Following Hussein’s dismissal, acting general guide Ibrahim Mounir referred him to an investigatory committee.“Muslim Brotherhood slams ‘members’ who bring division to group,” Middle East Monitor, January 31, 2022, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220131-muslim-brotherhood-slams-members-who-bring-division-to-group/. Mounir died on November 4, 2022.“Deputy supreme guide of Muslim Brotherhood dies in London,” Middle East Monitor, November 4, 2022, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221104-deputy-supreme-guide-of-muslim-brotherhood-dies-in-london/; “Acting leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood dies at 85 – statement,” Reuters, November 4, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/acting-leader-egypts-muslim-brotherhood-dies-85-statement-2022-11-04/. On November 16, the Brotherhood’s website, Ikhwanweb, posted to Twitter a decision by the Shura Council naming Mahmoud Hussein acting supreme guide. Hussein’s ascension resulted from the codification of a line of succession to the supreme guide in the case he is unable to carry out his duties. According to that succession, the supreme guide is to be replaced by the first and oldest deputy, then the oldest and most senior member of the Guidance Office. As the last remaining member of the Guidance Office not imprisoned, the Shura Council named Hussein as the acting guide.Ikhwanweb, Twitter post, November 16, 2022, 9:50 a.m., https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/1592892835082149888; Ikhwanweb, Twitter post, November 16, 2022, 9:51 a.m., https://twitter.com/Ikhwanweb/status/1592893075382304769.

Ahmed Abdel Rahman is a longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, currently serving as the head of its Office for Egyptians Abroad in Istanbul, Turkey.Eric Trager and Marina Shalabi, “Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Gets a Facelift,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, May 20, 2015, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-gets-a-facelift. In his current role as head of the Office for Egyptians Abroad, he manages the affairs of exiled Brotherhood members, as well as the activities of younger leaders on the ground in Egypt.Georges Fahmi, “The Struggle for the Leadership of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 14, 2015, http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/07/13/struggle-for-leadership-of-egypt-s-muslim-brotherhood-pub-60678. Abdel Rahman is reportedly a medical doctor from Cairo.Georges Fahmi, “The Struggle for the Leadership of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 14, 2015, http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/07/13/struggle-for-leadership-of-egypt-s-muslim-brotherhood-pub-60678.

In 1981, Egyptian police detained and arrested Rahman for his participation in the Brotherhood.“Egypt Muslim Brotherhood Administrative Office Abroad Elects New Head,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, April 7, 2016, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32082. He was arrested several other times, most recently in January 2011.“Egypt Muslim Brotherhood Administrative Office Abroad Elects New Head,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, April 7, 2016, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32082. During the Arab Spring protests, on January 25, 2011, a group of Egyptians raided the Wadi el-Natroun prison in the Beheira Governorate, north of Cairo, freeing Abdel Rahman and 34 other Brotherhood activists who were imprisoned at the time.“Smuggling Morsi and the Thuraya Call…How did Al Jazeera Plan the Events of January 25,” Sawt al-Ummah (Cairo), January 25, 2018, http://www.soutalomma.com/Article/748885/%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AB-25-%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%B1. Abdel Rahman served as a minister of parliament on behalf of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which held power in Egypt between June 2012 and July 2013 under former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.“Muslim brotherhood apologies for Egyptians,” Middle East Monitor, April 23, 2015, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20150423-muslim-brotherhood-apologises-for-egyptians/;
“Brotherhood official says group underwent broad restructuring,” Ahram Online, April 23, 2015, http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/128489/Egypt/Politics-/Brotherhood-official-says-group-underwent-broad-re.aspx.

Following Morsi’s overthrow, the Brotherhood split into competing factions, divided over how to guarantee the movement’s survival and achieve its political goals.“The Muslim Brotherhood: Sibling Rivalry,” Economist, June 16, 2016, https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21700673-egypts-main-islamist-movement-tearing-itself-apart-sibling-rivalry. Although based in Turkey, Abdel Rahman is reportedly aligned with the younger generation of activists on the ground in Egypt who believe that a more confrontational approach is the only way to ensure the Brotherhood’s survival.“The Muslim Brotherhood: Sibling Rivalry,” Economist, June 16, 2016, https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21700673-egypts-main-islamist-movement-tearing-itself-apart-sibling-rivalry.

In April 2015, a group of exiled, Istanbul-based Brotherhood members announced the establishment of the Office for Egyptians Abroad under Abdel Rahman’s leadership.Georges Fahmi, “The Struggle for the Leadership of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 14, 2015, http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/07/13/struggle-for-leadership-of-egypt-s-muslim-brotherhood-pub-60678. In an interview with Al Jazeera later that month, Abdel Rahman revealed that the Office would help to manage the “crisis” that the Brotherhood faced in Egypt.Samuel Tadros, “The Brotherhood Divided,” Hudson Institute, August 20, 2015, http://www.hudson.org/research/11530-the-brotherhood-divided. The Office soon launched a social media campaign using overtly jihadist rhetoric.Abdelrahman Ayyash and Victor J. Willi, “The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in 2016: Scenarios and Recommendations,” German Council on Foreign Relations, March 2016, 3, https://dgap.org/en/article/getFullPDF/27762;
“Brotherhood official says group underwent broad restructuring,” Ahram Online, April 23, 2015, http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/128489/Egypt/Politics-/Brotherhood-official-says-group-underwent-broad-re.aspx.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s official English-language website, Ikhwanweb, claims that the Office is “tasked with the management of the affairs and activities of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood abroad.”“Egypt Muslim Brotherhood Administrative Office Abroad Elects New Head,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, April 7, 2016, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32082. According to Brotherhood analysts, the Office facilitates the network of individuals and organizations opposing the military government in Egypt, and liaises with foreign donors and governments.Abdelrahman Ayyash and Victor J. Willi, “The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in 2016: Scenarios and Recommendations,” German Council on Foreign Relations, March 2016, 3, https://dgap.org/en/article/getFullPDF/27762.

Mohamed Taha Wahdan is a key leader in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for his role in a July 2013 raid on the Ismailiya police station in protest of the military coup against Egypt’s Brotherhood-led government.“Egyptian military court hands 3-year prison sentence to Brotherhood figure Wahdan,” Ahram Online, January 27, 2016, http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/186047/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-military-court-hands-year-prison-sentence.aspx.

Wahdan is reportedly loyal to the Brotherhood’s younger, more violent strain, as opposed to the older generation that has historically propagated a gradual, non-violent approach to transforming Egyptian society.Abdelrahman Ayyash and Victor J. Willi, “The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in 2016 Scenarios and Recommendations,” German Council on Foreign Relations, March 2016, 2, https://dgap.org/en/article/getFullPDF/27762. Formerly a university professor, Wahdan was charged, arrested, and held in an Egyptian prison from January 1995 until March 1998 for plotting against the government to establish an Islamic state.“Egypt: Further Information on Fear of Torture/Prisoners of Conscience/Legal Concern,” Amnesty International, March 30, 1998, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/MDE12/018/1998/en/. In January 2012, Wahdan was elected to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Office, the group’s top executive authority responsible for setting political strategy and policies.Samuel Tadros, “The Brotherhood Divided,” Hudson Institute, August 20, 2015, http://www.hudson.org/research/11530-the-brotherhood-divided; Eric Trager, Katie Kiraly, Cooper Klose, and Eliot Calhoun, “Who’s Who in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, September 2012, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/whos-who-in-the-muslim-brotherhood. Wahdan has also reportedly served as the group’s chief of education.Abdelrahman Ayyash and Victor J. Willi, “The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in 2016 Scenarios and Recommendations,” German Council on Foreign Relations, March 2016, 2, https://dgap.org/en/article/getFullPDF/27762.

Despite the escalating crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in early 2014, the party held internal elections that February. Wahdan was elected as the leader of the newly established Crisis Management Committee in response to the July 2013 imprisonment of Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and the need for new leadership after the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.في خمس نقاط، كل ما تريد معرفته عن أزمة الإخوان الأخيرة؟,” Sasa Post, May 31, 2015, http://www.sasapost.com/muslim-brotherhood-crisis-2015/.

The Crisis Management Committee was responsible for helping the post-coup Brotherhood craft a political strategy that would express dissatisfaction with the status quo without pushing the Brotherhood into an immediate, direct confrontation with the state.Mostafa Hashem, “The Great Brotherhood Divide,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/62942. The committee tried to do this by highlighting human rights abuses committed by the Egyptian state and honoring those slain by the military without explicitly calling for attacks on the military or state institutions.Mostafa Hashem, “The Great Brotherhood Divide,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/62942. Wahdan reportedly oversaw the Brotherhood’s rank-and-file on the ground in Egypt.في خمس نقاط، كل ما تريد معرفته عن أزمة الإخوان الأخيرة؟,” Sasa Post, May 31, 2015, http://www.sasapost.com/muslim-brotherhood-crisis-2015/.

In late March 2014, Wahdan was arrested for his alleged role in instigating a July 2013 raid on a police station in Ismailiya, Egypt. Wahdan had reportedly been in hiding since Egyptian security forces dispersed a pro-Morsi sit-in at Rabaa Square in Cairo, leading to the deaths of more than 800 people.Mohammed Ismael, “The night of the arrest of “Mohammed Taha Wahdan…The Brotherhood announces the downfall of a member of the Guidance Office, Hidden Since the Dispersal of the Spring at the Hands of the Security Forces in October…And Sources: He is Accused in the Case of the Helwan Brigades…And Kamal Habib…He Had a Strong Influence on the Group’s Youth,” Youm7 (Cairo), May 28, 2015, http://www.youm7.com/story/2015/5/28/ليلة-القبض-على-محمد-طه-وهدان-الإخوان-تعلن-سقوط-عضو/2201254. Police charged Wahdan with joining a banned group, show of force, violating the protest law, and attacking police forces.“Egyptian military court hands 3-year prison sentence to Brotherhood figure Wahdan,” Ahram Online, January 27, 2016, http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/186047/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-military-court-hands-year-prison-sentence.aspx. The Crisis Management Committee disbanded after Wahdan’s arrest.Mostafa Hashem, “The Great Brotherhood Divide,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, March 2, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/62942. In April 2014, an Egyptian military court sentenced Wahdan to three years in prison for his alleged role in instigating the Ismailiya raid.“Egyptian military court hands 3-year prison sentence to Brotherhood figure Wahdan,” Ahram Online, January 27, 2016, http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/186047/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-military-court-hands-year-prison-sentence.aspx.

While in custody, Egyptian authorities reportedly charged Wahdan in May 2015 for inciting violence and belonging to an outlawed organization.Mohammed Ismael, “The night of the arrest of “Mohammed Taha Wahdan…The Brotherhood announces the downfall of a member of the Guidance Office, Hidden Since the Dispersal of the Spring at the Hands of the Security Forces in October…And Sources: He is Accused in the Case of the Helwan Brigades…And Kamal Habib…He Had a Strong Influence on the Group’s Youth,” Youm7 (Cairo), May 28, 2015, http://www.youm7.com/story/2015/5/28/ليلة-القبض-على-محمد-طه-وهدان-الإخوان-تعلن-سقوط-عضو/2201254. The following month, his trial was referred to a military court.Mohamed Montaser, “Muslim Brotherhood Spokesman: Referral of Members to Military Courts Won't Stop Us,” Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Official English web site, June 21, 2015, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32188. Wahdan remains in an Egyptian prison.

Mohammed Khalid is a Bahraini Member of Parliament from the Al-Menbar Society, the political arm of the Bahraini Muslim Brotherhood. He sits in the lower house of the National Assembly, known as the Council of Representatives, to which he was elected in the 2002 Bahraini elections with 82 percent of the vote.“Kingdom of Bahrein Legislative Elections of 24 October 2002,” Psephos Adam Carr's Election Archive, accessed November 10, 2016, http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/b/bahrain/bahrain.txt. In this position, Khalid has spearheaded multiple Islamist initiatives, including the banning of alcohol in Bahrain.Joan Smith, “Bridging the Gulf: Bahrain’s big experiment with democracy,” Independent (London), September 11, 2010, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bridging-the-gulf-bahrains-big-experiment-with-democracy-2077160.html.

Khalid has been a prominent voice on behalf of Islamist causes at home and abroad. In a November 2004 parliamentary debate, Khalid praised the jihadists fighting against American forces in the Battle of Fallujah as “heroes.”Mohammed Almazel, “Bahrain MPs clash over US assault on Fallujah,” Gulf News, November 11, 2004, http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-mps-clash-over-us-assault-on-fallujah-1.338221;
Joan Smith, “Bridging the Gulf: Bahrain’s big experiment with democracy,” Independent (London), September 11, 2010, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/bridging-the-gulf-bahrains-big-experiment-with-democracy-2077160.html. In 2005, Khalid urged a boycott of Danish products after the Danish Jyllands-Posten daily newspaper published 12 caricatures depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad. “So what if businesses in Bahrain will be affected, Islam is far more important than anything,” he said.Mohammed Al A’Ali, “Boycott goods call over caricatures,” Gulf Digital News, January 29, 2006, http://archives.gdnonline.com/NewsDetails.aspx?date=04/07/2015&storyid=133900.

During the Arab uprisings of 2011, which spread to Bahrain in February of that year, the al-Menbar Society issued sectarian condemnations of the primarily Shiite protestors. In January 2012, Khalid dismissed the protestors via Twitter as “traitors” and as “agents of Iran” and called for violent retribution: “If you see a traitor crossing the road, you must run them over and keep going because you are in a country where the law allows you to strike and crush them,” Khalid tweeted.Alex MacDonald, “Sunni Islamists could face uphill struggle in Bahrain elections,” Middle East Eye, November 20, 2014, http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/sunni-islamists-could-face-uphill-struggle-bahrain-elections-1404489268#sthash.RuVRhrs4.dpuf. Khalid continues to sit in the lower house of the National Assembly, sponsoring Islamist policies.

Abderrazak Makri is the leader and president of Algeria’s largest legal Islamist party, the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Harakat al Mujtama As-Silm (Hamas)—or in English, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP).Carlotta Gall, “Who Runs Algeria? Many Doubt It’s Ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika,” New York Times, December 23, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/world/africa/suspicions-mount-that-ailing-president-abdelaziz-bouteflika-is-no-longer-running-algeria.html;
Michael J. Willis, Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), 189; Kaci Racelma, “Algeria’s Islamists Seek to Form a Political Union,” Al-Monitor, April 29, 2013, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/04/algeria-islamist-parties-seek-political-alliance.html. A founding member of the MSP when it was launched as “MSI” in 1990, Makri served as a member of Algerian parliament for ten years between 1997 and 2007.“Dr. Abderrazak MAKRI,” Mouvement de la Société pour la Paix, accessed November 10, 2016, http://hmsalgeria.net/fr/docteur-abderrazak-makri/. In 2013, Makri succeeded pro-government Bouguerra Soltani as leader of the MSP. Since then, Makri has increasingly distanced his party from the Algerian government, reestablishing the MSP as a serious opposition party.Dalia Ghanem Yazbeck, “The Future of Algeria’s Main Islamist Party,” Carnegie Middle East Center, April 14, 2015, http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=59769.

In 2014, Makri led the MSP and other Islamist parties in boycotting Algeria’s presidential elections.Lamine Chikhi, “Algerian Opposition Parties Urge Election Boycott,” Reuters, February 25, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-algeria-election-idUSBREA1O0IU20140225. Makri also led the MSP in boycotting the 2016 constitutional process, claiming that “this constitution, which is neither consensual nor having the potential for great reforms, expresses only the views of the president and his entourage.”Adlène Meddi, “Algeria’s New Constitution: the Illusion of Transparency,” Middle East Eye, January 13, 2016, http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/algerias-new-constitution-illusion-transparency-1405080738#sthash.DXYwDJVV.dpuf. In November 2016, however, Makri announced the MSP’s plans to participate in the 2017 parliamentary elections.Algerie Presse Service, “Algeria: Main Political Parties Participate in Upcoming Parliamentary Elections,” AllAfrica, November 7, 2016, http://allafrica.com/stories/201611071551.html. In January 2019, the MSP announced that Makri would serve as the party’s candidate in the April presidential elections. He later withdrew from the race after the incumbent president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he would run for a fifth term.“Algeria Islamists name Abderrazak Makri candidate for president,” AlJazeera, January 26, 2019, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/1/26/algeria-islamists-name-abderrazak-makri-candidate-for-president; “Algeria’s president runs for 5^th term, promises key changes,” PBS, March 3, 2019, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/algerias-president-files-candidacy-papers-amid-protests.

Oussama Atar was a dual Belgian-Moroccan citizen suspected of coordinating the deadly November 2015 attacks in Paris on behalf of ISIS.“Officials name possible coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks as Oussama Atar,” CBS News, November 8, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/officials-name-possible-coordinator-paris-brussels-attacks-oussama-atar/. In early November 2016, a French judicial official and a security official confirmed that Atar was the real name of “Abu Ahmed,” the ISIS figure suspected by law enforcement of masterminding the November 2015 Paris attacks.Associated Press, “Authorities ID possible organizer of Paris, Brussels attacks,” Yahoo News, November 8, 2016, http://sports.yahoo.com/news/authorities-id-possible-organizer-paris-brussels-attacks-160254593.html. European authorities have also linked Atar to the March 2016 attacks in Brussels.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/. On November 17, 2017, Atar was reportedly killed in an airstrike by the international coalition in Syria.“Oussama Atar mastermind behind Paris and Brussels attacks killed in Syria,” Brussel Times, November 7, 2018, https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/51710/oussama-atar-mastermind-of-paris-and-brussels-attacks-killed-in-syria/.

According to Agence France-Presse, a suspected extremist arrested in Austria in December 2015 said that Atar—identified by the extremist as “Abu Ahmed”—had sent him to participate in the Paris attacks.“Investigators name alleged planner of Paris, Brussels attacks,” Deutsche Welle, November 9, 2016, http://www.dw.com/en/investigators-name-alleged-planner-of-paris-brussels-attacks/a-36316533. According to European counterterrorism officials, suspects in the Paris attacks identified “Abu Ahmed” as their emir (leader) of the Paris cell, saying that he “discussed targets, strategy and bomb-making techniques from Syria via encrypted channels with survivors of the terrorist cell who were hiding in Brussels.”Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe.

Belgian authorities reportedly suspected that Atar was in the country in August 2016. Atar allegedly fled Belgium after information leaked to the media that Belgian Special Forces were searching for him. Belgian officials have described Atar as “the highest ranking ISIS operative” from the Brussels area.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/.

Atar was the cousin of brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, two suicide bombers who killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 300 in Brussels, Belgium, on March 22, 2016.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/. French authorities reportedly believe that Atar helped radicalize at least one of the El Bakraoui brothers, and that Atar coordinated the attacks from Syria. Authorities reportedly found proof on a computer belonging to one of the Bakraoui brothers connecting Atar to the Paris and Brussels attacks.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/.

Authorities have described Atar as an “ISIS original.”Henry Samuel, “Paris and Brussels terror attacks were coordinated by Syria-based jihadist called Oussama Atar, French and Belgian intelligence believe,” Telegraph (London), November 8, 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/08/paris-and-brussels-terror-attacks-were-coordinated-by-syria-base/. Atar reportedly first traveled to Iraq and Syria in 2002.Henry Samuel, “Paris and Brussels terror attacks were coordinated by Syria-based jihadist called Oussama Atar, French and Belgian intelligence believe,” Telegraph (London), November 8, 2016, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/08/paris-and-brussels-terror-attacks-were-coordinated-by-syria-base/. In February 2005, Atar was arrested in Ramadi, Iraq. Two years later, an Iraqi court convicted Atar on charges of illegally entering the country and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/; “Osama Atar, one of the presumed brains of the attacks of Brussels, sought by the Belgian authorities,” Le Monde (Paris), August 17, 2016, http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2016/08/17/oussama-atar-le-cousin-des-kamikazes-des-attentats-de-bruxelles-activement-recherche-par-les-autorites-belges_4984153_3214.html. Atar then reportedly spent time in multiple Iraqi prisons, including Abu Ghraib and Camp Bucca, where he reportedly met future ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/. While in Iraq’s al-Rusafa Prison in 2010, Atar’s lawyer launched a public campaign with the help of various NGOs to have Atar receive immediate medical care. According to Amnesty International, prison authorities had told the Belgian embassy that Atar had a tumor in his kidney and required immediate surgery. The Red Cross later discovered that Atar had a colon infection, not cancer.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/.

Atar was released from prison in September 2012 and returned to Belgium. According to Atar’s lawyer at the time, Vincent Lurquin, Belgian authorities were not as concerned by ISIS at that time and “left [Atar] by himself” after a routine interrogation.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/. After news broke of Atar’s possible connection to the Paris attacks, Lurquin told media outlets that he did not know what had become of his former client.“Osama Atar, one of the presumed brains of the attacks of Brussels, sought by the Belgian authorities,” Le Monde (Paris), August 17, 2016, http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2016/08/17/oussama-atar-le-cousin-des-kamikazes-des-attentats-de-bruxelles-activement-recherche-par-les-autorites-belges_4984153_3214.html.

As of November 2016, Atar reportedly remained at large in Syria, according to media reports.Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/.

On November 17, 2017, Atar was reportedly killed in an airstrike by the international coalition in Syria, but his death was not officially confirmed.“Oussama Atar mastermind behind Paris and Brussels attacks killed in Syria,” Brussel Times, November 7, 2018, https://www.brusselstimes.com/brussels/51710/oussama-atar-mastermind-of-paris-and-brussels-attacks-killed-in-syria/.

Abu Suleyman al-Firansi—born as Abdelilah Himich—is a Moroccan citizen, former French soldier, and suspected key member of ISIS. According to several ISIS defectors, Firansi leads the group’s amn al-kharjee, the external operations branch responsible for carrying out attacks in Europe. Various U.S. and French authorities have identified Firansi as one of the suspected masterminds behind ISIS’s November 2015 Paris massacre and March 2016 Brussels bombings.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe. In November 2016, French authorities identified Moroccan-Belgian extremist Oussama Atar as the overall coordinator of both attacks.Associated Press, “Authorities ID possible organizer of Paris, Brussels attacks,” Yahoo News, November 8, 2016, http://sports.yahoo.com/news/authorities-id-possible-organizer-paris-brussels-attacks-160254593.html; Margot Haddad, Erin McLaughlin, and Tim Hume, “France identifies suspected coordinator of Paris, Brussels attacks,” CNN, November 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/08/europe/paris-brussels-attacks-suspected-coordinator/. Firansi has been the subject of French and Interpol arrest warrants, and is believed to operate out of ISIS-controlled territory in Syria.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe. The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Firansi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on November 22, 2016.“Counter Terrorism Designations; Kingpin Act Designations Updates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, November 22, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20161122.aspx.

Firansi was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1989 and moved with his family to France in his early teens. He joined the French Foreign Legion in 2008 and gained combat experience while on a six-month tour in Afghanistan.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe; Michael Weiss, “From French Soldier to ISIS Spymaster,” Daily Beast, October 24, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/24/the-french-spymaster-of-isis.html. According to French officials, Firansi deserted the French Foreign Legion in 2010, and was arrested in Paris one year later while carrying 2.6 pounds of cocaine.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe; Michael Weiss, “Is This Frenchman Running ISIS Terror Networks in the West?,” Daily Beast, May 1, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/01/is-this-frenchman-running-isis-terror-networks-in-the-west.html. In 2013, Firansi was convicted on drug-related charges and sentenced to three years in prison, but was released after five months.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe. By early 2014, Firansi had traveled to Syria by driving through Italy, Greece, and Turkey, to fight with an al-Qaeda-linked group before joining ISIS.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe.

As a member of ISIS, Firansi has reportedly helped plot the group’s major attacks in Europe. Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reportedly rewarded Firansi“ABOU SOULEIMAN : L’ÉMIR FRANÇAIS DE DAECH,” TTU, April 15, 2016, http://www.ttu.fr/abou-souleiman-lemir-francais-de-daech/; Michael Weiss, “Is This Frenchman Running ISIS Terror Networks in the West?,” Daily Beast, May 1, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/01/is-this-frenchman-running-isis-terror-networks-in-the-west.html. by appointing him to the head of the amn al-kharjee, a unit belonging to the larger intelligence structure known as the Emni. The Emni was previously led by Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, the group’s spokesman and director of external operations killed in an August 2016 drone strike.Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe; Rukmini Callimachi, “How A Secret Branch of ISIS Built a Global Network of Killers,” New York Times, August 3, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/world/middleeast/isis-german-recruit-interview.html?_r=0.

According to one unnamed U.S. counterterrorism official, Faransi is “one of the most important Frenchmen in ISIS, especially after the death of Adnani.”Sebastian Rotella, “U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe,” ProPublica, October 19, 2016, https://www.propublica.org/article/us-identifies-key-player-in-isis-attacks-on-europe. Journalist Michael Weiss has referred to Faransi as “arguably the single most important European in ISIS.”Michael Weiss, “From French Soldier to ISIS Spymaster,” Daily Beast, October 24, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/24/the-french-spymaster-of-isis.html.

Libyan national and former Guantanamo Bay inmate Abu Sufyan Bin Qumu is a U.S.-designated senior leader of ISIS in Libya.Paton, Callum, “Isis in Libya: Islamic State Driven out of Derna Stronghold by Al-Qaeda-linked Militia,” International Business Times, June 15, 2015. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-libya-islamic-state-driven-out-derna-stronghold-by-al-qaeda-linked-militia-1506241;
“Terrorist Designations of Three Ansar Al-Shari’a Organizations and Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, January 10, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/01/219519.htm. In the summer of 2014, Qumu became the first of Ansar al-Sharia Libya (ASL)’s leadership to pledge allegiance to ISIS and defect to the transnational terror group.Aya Elbrqawi, “Derna Cries for Help,” AllAfrica, December 1, 2014, http://allafrica.com/stories/201412020345.html. In June 2015, Qumu was captured by the Mujahedeen Shura Council in Derna (MSC), a coalition of rival Islamist groups including ASL, when they pushed ISIS from Derna.Callum Paton, “Isis in Libya: Islamic State Driven out of Derna Stronghold by Al-Qaeda-linked Militia,” International Business Times, June 15, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-libya-islamic-state-driven-out-derna-stronghold-by-al-qaeda-linked-militia-1506241. It is believed that he fled the city at some point following his capture.“Other Jihadi Actors,” Eye on ISIS in Libya, August 2, 2017, http://eyeonisisinlibya.com/other-jihadi-actors/july-24-august-1st-2017-lna-and-dmsc-clashes-escalate-aerial-assaults/. In June 2018, according to a military source, Qumu was captured by the Libyan army during a raid on one of the last extremist strongholds in Derna.Mohammed al-Arabi, “Libyan Army Arrests Former bin Laden Driver Abu Sufian bin Qumu in Derna,” Al Arabiya, June 17, 2018, https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2018/06/17/Libyan-army-arrests-former-bin-Laden-driver-Abu-Sufian-bin-Qumu-in-Derna.

Qumu founded Ansar al-Sharia Derna (ASD) in the spring of 2011 following the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.Aaron Y. Zelin, “Know Your Ansar Al-Sharia,” Foreign Policy, September 21, 2012, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/21/know_your_ansar_al_sharia. Although separate from the larger Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi (ASB), the two groups worked closely together. On September 11, 2012, Islamist forces attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, looting much of the mission and killing four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. In its designation of Ansar al-Sharia Derna, the U.S. Department of State asserted that Qumu’s group was “involved” in the attack.“Terrorist Designations of Three Ansar Al-Shari’a Organizations and Leaders,” U.S. Department of State, January 10, 2014, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/01/219519.htm.

Following the attack, ASD faced massive backlash within Libya and was forced to disband.Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Peter Graff, “Libyan Army Tackles Rogue Militias as Two Disband,” Reuters, September 23, 2012, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/23/us-protests-libya-idUSBRE88M08D20120923. As part of its rebranding effort, ASB changed its name to Ansar al-Sharia Libya (ASL) and began to expand outside of Benghazi. In October 2013, Qumu founded an ASL branch in Derna, Libya.Aya Elbrqawi, “Slow Death of Derna,” AllAfrica, February 28, 2014, http://allafrica.com/stories/201403031054.html. At this time, he was also a military commander in the MSC, a coalition group comprising ASL and two other Islamist groups in Derna, the Abu Salim Martyrs Brigade and Jaysh al-Islami al-Libi.Aaron Y. Zelin, “The Rise and Decline of Ansar Al-Sharia in Libya,” Hudson Institute, April 6, 2015, http://www.hudson.org/research/11197-the-rise-and-decline-of-ansar-al-sharia-in-libya. ASL disbanded on May 28, 2017, after suffering heavy losses among both its leadership and fighters during the three-year battle for Benghazi, although some experts believe that ASL-Derna still operates in a minor capacity.“Libya's Ansar al-Sharia announces dissolution,” Al Jazeera, May 28, 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/libya-ansar-al-sharia-announces-dissolution-170528045219409.html.

Qumu was born in 1959 in Derna. As Qumu told the Department of Defense’s Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF), he became a private and drove tanks for the Libyan army. In the late 1980s-early 1990s, the Libyan government arrested Qumu for a host of crimes connected to an addiction to illegal drugs, including armed assault and murder. Qumu was sentenced to 10 years in prison but escaped in 1993, fleeing to Egypt. From Egypt, Qumu traveled to Afghanistan and trained in an Osama bin Laden-funded camp near the border with Pakistan.“Guantanamo Docket: JTF GTMO Assessment: Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu,” New York Times, accessed April 6, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/557-abu-sufian-ibrahim-ahmed-hamuda-bin-qumu.

After training and fighting in Afghanistan, Qumu moved to Sudan where he worked as a truck driver for one of bin Laden’s companies. While in Sudan, Qumu joined the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which aims to establish an Islamic state in Libya.“Guantanamo Docket: JTF GTMO Assessment: Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu,” New York Times, accessed April 6, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/557-abu-sufian-ibrahim-ahmed-hamuda-bin-qumu.

In 1997, Sudan expelled Qumu amid pressure from Libya. Qumu moved to Pakistan and joined the Taliban. In 2001, he crossed into Afghanistan and fought against the Northern Alliance. Following the collapse of the Taliban government that November, Qumu fled to Pakistan and was captured by Pakistani security forces in Peshawar. Qumu was transferred to U.S. custody and detained at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in May 2002.“Guantanamo Docket: JTF GTMO Assessment: Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu,” New York Times, accessed April 6, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/557-abu-sufian-ibrahim-ahmed-hamuda-bin-qumu.

While detained, the Libyan government informed the JTF that Qumu was “a dangerous man with no qualms about committing terrorist acts.” The JTF assessed him as an associate of Osama bin Laden, and fellow prisoners were able to identify Qumu as a member of al-Qaeda- and Taliban-linked groups.“Guantanamo Docket: JTF GTMO Assessment: Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu,” New York Times, accessed April 6, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/557-abu-sufian-ibrahim-ahmed-hamuda-bin-qumu.

On August 23, 2003, the JTF recommended to retain Qumu in Department of Defense control; however, the JTF reversed its decision nearly two years later. On April 22, 2005, the JTF assessed Qumu as a “medium to high risk” to the United States and of high intelligence value. Despite this, the JTF recommended he be transferred to Libyan custody. “Guantanamo Docket: JTF GTMO Assessment: Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu,” New York Times, accessed April 6, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/557-abu-sufian-ibrahim-ahmed-hamuda-bin-qumu. He was repatriated on September 28, 2007.  The following year, Qumu was released from prison as part of an amnesty program for Islamists.Rod Norland and Scott Shane, “Libyan, Once a Detainee, Is Now a U.S. Ally of Sorts,” New York Times, April 24, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/world/guantanamo-files-libyan-detainee-now-us-ally-of-sorts.html. By 2011, he returned to terrorism to found ASD.Aaron Y. Zelin, “Know Your Ansar Al-Sharia,” Foreign Policy, September 21, 2012, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/21/know_your_ansar_al_sharia.

On June 16, 2018, Qumu was reportedly arrested by the Libyan army during a raid on one of the last extremist strongholds in Derna. He was taken into custody by the Libyan military.Mohammed al-Arabi, “Libyan Army Arrests Former bin Laden Driver Abu Sufian bin Qumu in Derna,” Al Arabiya, June 17, 2018, https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2018/06/17/Libyan-army-arrests-former-bin-Laden-driver-Abu-Sufian-bin-Qumu-in-Derna.