Anas El Abboubi was an Italian citizen of Moroccan descent and a U.S.-designated foreign fighter for ISIS since September 2016.“State Department Terrorist Designation of Anas El Abboubi,” U.S. Department of State, September 28, 2016, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/09/262527.htm;
“Foley, anche l’Italia ha un rapper jihadista è Anas El Abboubi, da Brescia ad Aleppo,” Il Fatto Quotidiano (Milan), August 23, 2015, http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2014/08/23/foley-anche-litalia-ha-il-suo-rapper-jihadista-anas-el-abboubi-da-brescia/1097416/. According to the U.S. Department of State, El Abboubi had been fighting for ISIS from September 2013 until the time of his presumed death.“State Department Terrorist Designation of Anas El Abboubi,” U.S. Department of State, September 28, 2016, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2016/09/262527.htm. He was previously arrested by Italian counterterrorism police in June 2013 for jihadist propaganda—including his blog titled “Sharia4Italy”—and incitement to racial hatred.“Foley, anche l’Italia ha un rapper jihadista è Anas El Abboubi, da Brescia ad Aleppo,” Il Fatto Quotidiano (Milan), August 23, 2015, http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2014/08/23/foley-anche-litalia-ha-il-suo-rapper-jihadista-anas-el-abboubi-da-brescia/1097416/.

While in Italy, El Abboubi allegedly plotted to carry out acts of domestic terrorism. Police in the Italian city of Brescia stated that El Abboubi had utilized Google Maps to search for potential targets. One of his targets included the barracks in the Italian city of Goito, which houses members of the Italian military.Wilma Petenzi, “Esplora il significato del termine: Nel mirino dello studente pure questore e piazza LoggiaNel mirino dello studente pure questore e piazza Loggia,” Corriere Della Sera (Milan), June 13, 2013, http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2013/giugno/13/Nel_mirino_dello_studente_pure_co_0_20130613_7fe5f472-d3e9-11e2-8ada-521e7e602088.shtml. Another target allegedly included the crowded Brescia train station through which thousands of commuters pass each day.“Terrorismo, voleva colpire la Stazione di Brescia e l'ex caserma Goito,” BSNews (Brescia), June 12, 2013, http://bsnews.it/notizia.php?id=25941.

El Abboubi first became known to police in September 2012, when he requested a permit from the police headquarters in Brescia to organize a protest.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. He told officials he wanted to protest the controversial movie The Innocence of Muslims, an anti-Islamic film that sparked protests within Muslims communities internationally.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. He additionally informed police he planned to burn an Israeli flag and display anti-American banners.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. The Brescia police began looking into El Abboubi’s background, beginning what became known as “Operation Screen Shot.” The Brescia police monitored El Abboubi’s online activity and noted a fast progression towards increasingly radical content.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. El Abboubi began posting texts from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula radical cleric and propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki and looking at operational manuals on how to make explosives.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf.

In or around 2012, El Abboubi was featured on an MTV Italy special entitled “In the Rhythm of Allah,” in which he showcased his hip-hop and rapping skills.“MTV NEWS NEL RITMO DI ALLAH storia.mp4,” YouTube video, 9:23, posted by “metroitalia,” March 9, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EObUCoujN0o. He called himself “Mc Khalifh” and expressed his preference for “angry” music. He also discussed his love for Brescia—a city in northern Italy—and spoke with a notably Brescian accent. During the interview, El Abboubi described the racism and exclusion which he was subjected to throughout his life in Italy.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. El Abboubi said that he had “clear ideas” about his religious faith, and that “tolerance is the principal point in order to prove that you are a good Muslim.”“MTV NEWS NEL RITMO DI ALLAH storia.mp4,” YouTube video, 9:23, posted by “metroitalia,” March 9, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EObUCoujN0o. He claimed to have converted to Islam a year and a half prior to the interview and said the transition had a positive influence on his life.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. By the summer of 2012, El Abboubi stopped his rap career describing music as haram (forbidden).Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf.

El Abboubi began contacting jihadist sympathizers through Twitter and Facebook in 2012.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. He connected to Millatu Ibrahim a German-based militant Salafist group, participated in lectures by Omar Bakri Mohammad, a Lebanon-based extreme cleric, and with Anjem Choudary, an internationally designated Islamist cleric, convicted ISIS supporter, and founder of Sharia4UK.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf. El Abboubi began Sharia4Italy through a blog where he posted his writings advocating Islamic order.Lorenzo Vidino, Home-Grown Jihadism in Italy: Birth, Development and Radicalization Dynamics, European Foundation for Democracy, April 2014, http://europeandemocracy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Homegrown-Jihadism-in-Italy.pdf.

It is unclear whether Sharia4Italy ever evolved beyond El Abboubi’s blog into an active organization similar to Sharia4Belgium, or whether the movement consisted primarily of the use of the hashtag #sharia4Italy. Sharia4Belgium was led by Fouad Belkacem after spending time in a London mosque and developing a relationship with Choudary, who helped Belkacem model Sharia4Belgium after the successful Sharia4UK.Vikram Dodd, “Anjem Choudary: A Hate Preacher Who Spread Terror in UK and Europe,” Guardian, August 16, 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/aug/16/anjem-choudary-hate-preacher-spread-terror-uk-europe. Although El Abboubi had contact with Choudary it is not believed that he had the same infrastructural support when attempting to set up Shaira4Italy. Postings under the hashtag #sharia4Italy have included photos supportive of ISIS as well as maps of Italy, appearing to indicate that the propagandists hope the country will one day fall under sharia law.Sharia4Italy Twitter hashtag, accessed July 27, 2015, https://twitter.com/hashtag/sharia4italy.

El Abboubi was arrested in Brescia on the morning of June 12, 2013, on charges of recruitment with the intent to commit acts of international terrorism and inciting discrimination and violence on the basis of race, ethnicity, and religion.“Terrorismo, arrestato 21enne: cercava obiettivi,” Corriere Della Sera (Brescia), June 12, 2013, http://brescia.corriere.it/brescia/notizie/cronaca/13_giugno_12/terrorismo-marocchino-arrestato-2221605936503.shtml?refresh_ce-cp. He was briefly imprisoned. Following his release, the prosecutor filed an appeal asking that he be re-incarcerated. The appeal was rejected. In October 2013, El Abboubi allegedly traveled to Syria where he reportedly joined in the fighting. El Abboubi’s father confirmed that he had left for Syria. “Foley, anche l’Italia ha un rapper jihadista è Anas El Abboubi, da Brescia ad Aleppo,” Il Fatto Quotidiano (Milan), August 23, 2015, http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2014/08/23/foley-anche-litalia-ha-il-suo-rapper-jihadista-anas-el-abboubi-da-brescia/1097416/.

One month later in November 2013, photos appeared on Facebook under a new profile name Anas Al-Italy, depicting El Abboubi holding a Kalashnikov, as well as an audio recording of El Abboubi explaining his decision to embrace Islamic law and fight alongside Syrian rebels.“Arrestato a Brescia, è in Siria a combattere per la Jihad,” Brescia Today, November 9, 2013, http://www.bresciatoday.it/cronaca/brescia-vobarno-anas-el-abboubi-jihad.html.

On January 23, 2019, El Abboubi was sentenced by the Court of Assizes of Brescia to six years in jail in absentia. Although he is formally an international fugitive, his family believes he was killed while fighting in former ISIS-Controlled Territory in Iraq/Syria.“Foreign Fighter Gets Six Years in Absentia – English,” ANSA.it, January 23, 2019, http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2019/01/23/foreign-fighter-gets-six-years-in-absentia_200288fb-87a2-480a-b180-81767c2acb5e.html; “Terrorismo: Sei Anni Al Foreign Fighter Anas El Abboubi.” Giornale Di Brescia, January 23, 2019, accessed June 25, 2019, https://www.giornaledibrescia.it/valsabbia/terrorismo-sei-anni-al-foreign-fighter-anas-el-abboubi-1.3333583.

Virginia-born Zachary Chesser is a homegrown extremist and would-be foreign fighter who attempted to travel to Somalia to fight alongside al-Shabaab. Chesser is known—alongside U.S. citizen Jesse Curtis Morton—for urging U.S.-based extremists to attack the writers of the television show South Park. The show’s writers had produced an episode in which the Islamic prophet Muhammad was depicted wearing a bear costume.“Wife of Zachary Chesser Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement,” FBI, November 8, 2010, https://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2010/wfo110810b.htm;
“Zachary Chesser: A Case Study in Online Islamist Radicalization and Its Meaning for the Threat of Homegrown Terrorism,” United States Senate, February 2012, 12, http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/download/zachary-chesser-a-case-study-in-online-radicalization-.

In April 2010, Chesser and Morton issued a threat to South Park’s writers on their website revolutionmuslim.com. The pair warned that the writers might share the fate of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was murdered in 2004 for a film he directed criticizing misogyny in Islam.Edecio Martinez, “Zachary Chesser Threatened “South Park” Creators Over Muhammad, Now Charged in Terror Case,” CBS News, July 23, 2010, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zachary-chesser-threatened-south-park-creators-over-muhammad-now-charged-in-terror-case/;
Joshua Rhett Miller, “Road to Radicalism: The Man Behind the ‘South Park’ Threats,” Fox News, April 23, 2010, http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/23/road-radicalism-man-south-park-threats/. In May 2010, Chesser and Morton used revolutionmuslim.com to call for the murder of an artist tied to “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day,” an event in support of artists who had been threatened for drawing the Islamic prophet. “Leader of Revolution Muslim Pleads Guilty to Using Internet to Solicit Murder and Encourage Violent Extremism,” FBI, February 9, 2012, https://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2012/leader-of-revolution-muslim-pleads-guilty-to-using-internet-to-solicit-murder-and-encourage-violent-extremism.

Chesser converted to Islam in the summer of 2008 while playing on a soccer team organized by a member of the transnational Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir.“Zachary Chesser: A Case Study in Online Islamist Radicalization and Its Meaning for the Threat of Homegrown Terrorism,” United States Senate, February 2012, 5, http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/download/zachary-chesser-a-case-study-in-online-radicalization-. His writing soon appeared on the blog belonging to Anwar al-Awlaki—an American-Yemeni terrorist who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011. Chesser later admitted to corresponding with al-Awlaki via email.“Zachary Chesser Timeline,” Washington Post, accessed September 21, 2015, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/zac-chesser/.

In December 2009, Chesser created the blog “themujahidblog.com” to “[spread] knowledge regarding Jihad and the Mujahideen.” In June 2010, he posted his nearly 7,000-word manifesto titled “Raising Al Qaa’ida” to several jihadist websites.“Wife of Zachary Chesser Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement,” FBI, November 8, 2010, https://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2010/wfo110810b.htm;
“Zachary Chesser: A Case Study in Online Islamist Radicalization and Its Meaning for the Threat of Homegrown Terrorism,” United States Senate, February 2012, 12, http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/download/zachary-chesser-a-case-study-in-online-radicalization-.

Excerpt #1 from Zachary Chesser’s 7,000-word manifesto titled “Raising Al Qaa’ida”
(Source: Washington Post)

Excerpt #2 from Zachary Chesser’s 7,000-word manifesto titled “Raising Al Qaa’ida”
(Source: Washington Post)

Approximately two weeks later, Chesser was stopped from boarding a flight with his infant son to Uganda, where he planned to continue onto Somalia to join al-Shabaab. He was arrested approximately 20 days later and pled guilty in October 2010 to charges of “communicating threats against the writers of the South Park television show, soliciting violent jihadists to desensitize law enforcement, and attempting to provide material support to al Shabaab,” according to the FBI.“Wife of Zachary Chesser Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement,” FBI, November 8, 2010, https://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2010/wfo110810b.htm. Four days following Chesser’s arrest, Morton fled to Morocco. He was arrested there on U.S. charges in May 2011.“Leader of Revolution Muslim Pleads Guilty to Using Internet to Solicit Murder and Encourage Violent Extremism,” FBI, February 9, 2012, https://www.fbi.gov/washingtondc/press-releases/2012/leader-of-revolution-muslim-pleads-guilty-to-using-internet-to-solicit-murder-and-encourage-violent-extremism.

Chesser’s wife, Ugandan national Proscovia Kampire Nzabanita, had reportedly planned to meet Chesser in Somalia. In November 2010, Nzabanita pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a special agent investigating her husband. She also admitted that in 2009, she and her husband attempted to travel to Somalia so that Chesser could join al-Shabaab. Nzabanita later faced deportation and reportedly fled to Jordan.Associated Press, “‘South Park’ Terror Convict Zachary Chesser: My Mother And The FBI Violated My Rights,” Huffington Post, March 25, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/25/zachary-chesser_n_6943196.html.

In June 2014, Chesser was transferred from prison in Illinois to a Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, after he repeatedly organized unauthorized meetings with Muslim inmates.Meg Wagner, “Convict who threatened 'South Park' creators sues prison, claims it's difficult to practice Islam behind bars,” New York Daily News, January 9, 2015, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/south-park-terrorist-sues-prison-hindering-faith-article-1.2071959. He was later transferred to United States Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia. Chesser is due to be released in January 2032.“Zachary Adam Chesser,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Mahamat Daoud is the alleged former leader of Boko Haram.“Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants ‘have new leader,’” BBC News, August 12, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33889378;
Agence France-Presse, “IS welcomes Boko Haram allegiance: tape,” Yahoo News, March 12, 2015, http://news.yahoo.com/accepts-allegiance-nigeria-jihadists-boko-haram-201513146.html;
“قطـع طريـق إمـداد الرافضـة إلـى معسـكر القيارة,” al-Naba, August 2, 2016, 8, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/the-islamic-state-e2809cal-nabacc84_-newsletter-4122.pdf. In August 2015, Chad’s President Idriss Deby claimed that long-time Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had been wounded and subsequently ceded power to Daoud. President Deby added that the change indicated that Boko Haram had been “decapitated.”“Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants ‘have new leader,’” BBC News, August 12, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33889378;
Rick Gladstone, “Nigeria: Boko Haram Is Said To Have A New Leader,” New York Times, August 12, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/world/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-is-said-to-have-a-new-leader.html. However, a Chadian government spokesman told the media that the leadership change had not been confirmed. Ludovica Iaccino, “Abubakar Shekau ‘ousted’ as Boko Haram leader: Mahamat Daoud alleged new head of terror group,” International Business Times, August 12, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/abubakar-shekau-ousted-boko-haram-leader-mahamat-daoud-alleged-new-head-terror-group-1515187.

A few days later, Shekau released an audio recording in which he contradicted Deby’s claims and asserted that the group’s leadership had not changed.“Shekau ‘still in charge’ of Nigeria’s Boko Haram,” BBC News, August 16, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33952928. Shekau dismissed reports that he no longer commanded Boko Haram, and called them “blatant lies.”“Shekau ‘still in charge’ of Nigeria’s Boko Haram,” BBC News, August 16, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33952928.

In early August 2016, ISIS announced Abu Musab al-Barnawi as Boko Haram’s new leader. ISIS mentioned neither Shekau nor Mahamat Daoud in the announcement.“Boko Haram in Nigeria: Abu Musab al-Barnawi named as new leader,” BBC News, August 3, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-36963711;
“قطـع طريـق إمـداد الرافضـة إلـى معسـكر القيارة,” al-Naba, August 2, 2016, 8, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/the-islamic-state-e2809cal-nabacc84_-newsletter-4122.pdf. Shekau released an audio statement denying ISIS’s claim, and referred to the announcement as a coup.Associated Press, “Shekau says he leads Boko Haram, not IS-appointed successor,” Washington Post, August 4, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/shekau-says-he-leads-boko-haram-not-is-appointed-successor/2016/08/04/409a0232-5a63-11e6-8b48-0cb344221131_story.html.  Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS under Shekau in March 2015.Agence France-Presse, “IS welcomes Boko Haram allegiance: tape,” Yahoo News, March 12, 2015, http://news.yahoo.com/accepts-allegiance-nigeria-jihadists-boko-haram-201513146.html.

Justin Sullivan is a U.S. citizen, convert to Islam, and attempted domestic terrorist. In late June 2015, Sullivan was arrested at his North Carolina home and charged with attempting to carry out a domestic attack on behalf of ISIS.Pete Williams, “ISIS-Inspired Suspect Justin Nojan Sullivan Was Turned in By Dad,” NBC News, June 22, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/isis-inspired-suspect-justin-nolan-sullivan-was-turned-dad-n379721. Separately, Sullivan is suspected of killing his neighbor, John Bailey Clark, in order to steal money for the attack. Sullivan pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges on November 29, 2016, and in July 2017 he pleaded guilty in state court to Clark’s murder.Associated Press, “North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting Death,” ABC 13 News, July 17, 2017, https://wlos.com/news/local/nc-man-imprisoned-for-is-inspired-plot-faces-murder-charge; Rachel Weiner, “20-year-old says he planned ISIS terror attacks in Virginia, North Carolina,” Washington Post, November 30, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/20-year-old-planned-terrorist-attack-in-virginia-or-north-carolina/2016/11/29/cb4084f2-b660-11e6-b8df-600bd9d38a02_story.html?utm_term=.6d61263fdd80. In 2017 he was sentenced to life in federal prison on the terrorist charge.“North Carolina Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempting to Commit an Act of Terrorism Transcending National Boundaries,” U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Public Affairs, June 27, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-life-prison-attempting-commit-act-terrorism-transcending.

Sullivan reportedly began watching ISIS material online beginning in September 2014. At some point before his June 2015 arrest, he is believed to have made contact online with Junaid Hussain, a British foreign fighter, computer hacker, and recruiter for ISIS who was targeted and killed in a U.S. airstrike in August 2015. According to U.S. officials, Hussain asked Sullivan to film a video of his attack for use by ISIS.“UK jihadist Junaid Hussain killed in Syria drone strike, says US,” BBC News, August 27, 2015, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34078900. In early 2015, Sullivan began destroying his family’s Buddhist figurines including by pouring gasoline on them in order to burn them, according to the criminal complaint. Sullivan’s family notified law enforcement about his erratic behavior in April 2015.“United States of America v. Justin Nojan Sullivan,” U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina,” June 22, 2015, 4, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/479816/download;
Pete Williams, “ISIS-Inspired Suspect Justin Nojan Sullivan Was Turned in By Dad,” NBC News, June 22, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/isis-inspired-suspect-justin-nolan-sullivan-was-turned-dad-n379721.

An undercover FBI officer made contact online with Sullivan on June 6, 2015. In a conversation with the agent, Sullivan referred to himself as a “mujahid,” (holy warrior), according to the criminal complaint. The two men discussed plotting a lone wolf attack in the United States as well as purchasing or building a gun silencer. In addition, Sullivan asked the agent to kill Sullivan’s parents—offering to send him money and their location.“United States of America v. Justin Nojan Sullivan,” U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina,” June 22, 2015, 4-11, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/479816/download. Sullivan also discussed using biological weapons—including by coating bullets with cyanide and detonating a “gas bomb”—in order to kill 1,000 people at a bar, club, or concert.Pete Williams, “ISIS-Inspired Suspect Justin Nojan Sullivan Was Turned in By Dad,” NBC News, June 22, 2015, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/isis-inspired-suspect-justin-nolan-sullivan-was-turned-dad-n379721;
“United States of America v. Justin Nojan Sullivan,” U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina,” June 22, 2015, 4, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/479816/download. Sullivan told the FBI agent that “the war is here,” and gave him the opportunity to join what he called the “Islamic State of North America” whose “doctrine is Guerilla Warfare in and out,” according to the criminal complaint.“United States of America v. Justin Nojan Sullivan,” U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina,” June 22, 2015, 7, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/479816/download.

Approximately two weeks after making contact with Sullivan, the FBI arrested him and charged him with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.“N.C. man charged in plot to kill Americans of behalf of ISIS,” CBS News, June 22, 2015, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-man-charged-in-plot-to-kill-americans-of-behalf-of-isis/.

In August 2016, Sullivan was also charged with the murder and robbery of his 74-year-old neighbor, John Bailey Clark. Investigators claim that in December 2014, Sullivan stole his stepfather’s gun and broke into his neighbor’s home, shot him in the head, and buried him. Prosecutors believe that Sullivan planned to use his neighbor’s money to purchase weapons for future terrorist attacks.Carla Field, “ISIS-supporting teen killed NC neighbor, planned mass murder, feds say,” WYFF4, August 24, 2016, http://www.wyff4.com/article/isis-supporting-teen-killed-nc-neighbor-planned-mass-murder-feds-say/7024054.

On November 29, 2016, Sullivan pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of “attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries,”“North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Commit An Act of Terrorism Transcending National Boundaries,” U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Public Affairs, November 29, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-pleads-guilty-attempting-commit-act-terrorism-transcending-national. and on June 27, 2017, he was sentenced to life in federal prison.“North Carolina Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempting to Commit an Act of Terrorism Transcending National Boundaries,” U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Public Affairs, June 27, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-life-prison-attempting-commit-act-terrorism-transcending.

On July 17, 2017, Sullivan pleaded guilty in a Burke County, North Carolina court to killing Clark. As part of a plea agreement, state prosecutors agreed to not seek the death penalty against Sullivan for the killing. He was sentenced to life in state prison on the murder, which will be served on top of his federal life sentence.Associated Press, “North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting Death,” ABC 13 News, July 17, 2017, https://wlos.com/news/local/nc-man-imprisoned-for-is-inspired-plot-faces-murder-charge; Sharon McBrayer, “UPDATE: Justin Sullivan Agrees to Plea Deal in Murder of John Bailey Clark,” Morganton News Herald, March 15, 2019, https://morganton.com/news/update-justin-sullivan-agrees-to-plea-deal-in-murder-of-john-bailey-clark/article_8c406f24-6b37-11e7-9f4a-43be7b41bc8b.html.

Sullivan is currently incarcerated at Terra Haute Federal Correctional Institution in Indiana.“JUSTIN NOJAN SULLIVAN,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed April 12, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Jalaluddin Haqqani was the founder and leader of the Haqqani network, a militant Islamist movement dedicated to expelling Western influence from Afghanistan and Pakistan.Eric Schmitt, “Taliban Fighters Appear Blunted in Afghanistan,” New York Times, December 26, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/world/asia/27policy.html?_r=0. In July 2015, a senior member of the Haqqani network claimed that Jalaluddin Haqqani had been dead for more than a year. Neither U.S. intelligence nor the Taliban confirmed his death.Matthew Rosenberg and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, “Founder of Haqqani Network Is Long Dead, Aide Says,” New York Times, July 31, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/world/asia/founder-of-haqqani-network-died-nearly-a-year-ago-member-says.html. The Haqqani network is considered a branch of the Afghan Taliban, but it operates independently from the organization and has a more diffused command structure.Eric Schmitt, “Taliban Fighters Appear Blunted in Afghanistan,” New York Times, December 26, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/world/asia/27policy.html?_r=0. In recent years, on account of poor health, Haqqani yielded operational command of the network to his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani.“The Haqqani Network,” Institute for the Study of War, accessed June 15, 2015, http://www.understandingwar.org/report/haqqani-network. The Taliban officially announced Haqqani’s death in September 2018.Kathy Gannon, “Death of Afghan group’s founder unlikely to weaken militants,” Associated Press, September 4, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/be6aab352110497696ddc9a01f3bf693/Taliban:-Founder-of-Haqqani-network-dies-inside-Afghanistan?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter.

Jalaluddin Haqqani was intimately acquainted with insurgency warfare for well over a quarter century. In 1976, Haqqani began to train Islamist militants in North Waziristan, Pakistan, with the goal of ousting Mohammad Daud Khan, the then-president of Afghanistan.“Jalaluddin Haqqani,” Encyclopedia Brittanica, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1844743/Jalaluddin-Haqqani. Haqqani gained experience fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. In this role, Haqqani received considerable military assistance from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan during the anti-Soviet jihad.Jason Ukman, “The Haqqani Network: al Qaeda’s Dangerous Patron,” Washington Post, July 11, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/al-qaedas-dangerous-haqqani-patron-in-pakistan/2011/07/18/gIQAtWmcLI_blog.html. Haqqani reportedly introduced suicide bombing as a mainstream tactic against the Red Army.Dan Froomkin, “Jalaluddin Haqqani, Once CIA’s ‘Blue-Eyed Boy,’ Now Top Scourge for U.S. in Afghanistan,” Huffington Post, October 7, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/haqqani-network-afghanistan_n_987762.html.

After the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan, Haqqani formed an alliance with the Taliban and supported the growth of al-Qaeda. Even before Osama bin Laden transferred his base of operations to Afghanistan, Haqqani took the extraordinary step of publishing communiques and pleas for an alliance with al-Qaeda affiliates across Africa.Jason Ukman, “The Haqqani Network: al Qaeda’s Dangerous Patron,” Washington Post, July 11, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/checkpoint-washington/post/al-qaedas-dangerous-haqqani-patron-in-pakistan/2011/07/18/gIQAtWmcLI_blog.html.

Shortly after the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan in 1996, it made Haqqani minister of tribal affairs.“Part 3: Through the eyes of the Taliban,” Asia Times Online, May 5, 2004, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/FE05Ag02.html. Ever since the fall of the Taliban in November-December 2001, the Haqqani network has been subsumed under the larger Taliban, although the Haqqanis preserve distinct command and control.“The Haqqani Network,” Institute for the Study of War, accessed June 15, 2015, http://www.understandingwar.org/report/haqqani-network. Haqqani has spearheaded many of the most lethal attacks of the insurgency.Dan Froomkin, “Jalaluddin Haqqani, Once CIA’s ‘Blue-Eyed Boy,’ Now Top Scourge for U.S. in Afghanistan,” Huffington Post, October 7, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/haqqani-network-afghanistan_n_987762.html. Moreover, Haqqani deepened ties with Pakistan, to such a degree that Admiral Mike Mullen, then-chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the network as “a veritable arm” of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.Dan Froomkin, “Jalaluddin Haqqani, Once CIA’s ‘Blue-Eyed Boy,’ Now Top Scourge for U.S. in Afghanistan,” Huffington Post, October 7, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/07/haqqani-network-afghanistan_n_987762.html.

In 2008, Haqqani declared that “all the Mujahideen wage Jihad under the leadership of [Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar] against the American invaders and their lackeys.”“The Haqqani Network,” Institute for the Study of War, accessed June 15, 2015, http://www.understandingwar.org/report/haqqani-network. The Taliban released a statement on its website denying any “separate entity or network in Afghanistan by the name of Haqqani,” and asserted that Jalaluddin Haqqani is “a member of the Leadership Council of Islamic Emirate and is a close, loyal and trusted associate” of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.Bill Roggio, “Haqqani Network is part of the Taliban- Siraj Haqqani,” Long War Journal, October 5, 2012, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/10/siraj_haqqani_denies.php.

Haqqani reportedly took on a more symbolic role within the Haqqani network beginning in 2007 as he grew increasingly ill. According to a cousin, Haqqani had been diagnosed with hepatitis C, which grew worse after 2011. He also reportedly suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Haqqani allegedly relegated himself to his home in Miram Shah, Pakistan, as his illness worsened.Kathy Gannon, “Death of Afghan group’s founder unlikely to weaken militants,” Associated Press, September 4, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/be6aab352110497696ddc9a01f3bf693/Taliban:-Founder-of-Haqqani-network-dies-inside-Afghanistan?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter; Mujib Mashal, “Taliban Say Haqqani Founder Is Dead. His Group Is More Vital Than Ever,” New York Times, September 4, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/04/world/asia/jalaluddin-haqqani-dead-taliban.html. In July 2015, a senior member of the Haqqani network claimed that Haqqani had been dead for more than a year, though neither U.S. intelligence nor the Taliban confirmed the report.Matthew Rosenberg and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, New York Times, July 31, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/world/asia/founder-of-haqqani-network-died-nearly-a-year-ago-member-says.html. On September 3, 2018, the Taliban announced Haqqani’s death at the age of 71 from health complications. According to the statement, Haqqani had been “ill and bedridden for the past several years.”Mujib Mashal, “Taliban Say Haqqani Founder Is Dead. His Group Is More Vital Than Ever,” New York Times, September 4, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/04/world/asia/jalaluddin-haqqani-dead-taliban.html. The statement did not provide specifics of Haqqani’s death, leading Afghan officials to reaffirm their belief that Haqqani had in fact died several years earlier.Kathy Gannon, “Death of Afghan group’s founder unlikely to weaken militants,” Associated Press, September 4, 2018, https://www.apnews.com/be6aab352110497696ddc9a01f3bf693/Taliban:-Founder-of-Haqqani-network-dies-inside-Afghanistan?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter; Mujib Mashal, “Taliban Say Haqqani Founder Is Dead. His Group Is More Vital Than Ever,” New York Times, September 4, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/04/world/asia/jalaluddin-haqqani-dead-taliban.html.

Omar Bakri Muhammad is a prominent Sunni Islamist cleric who has a long record of supporting terrorism.“Cleric Omar Bakri ‘On the Run’ in Lebanon,” BBC News, April 2, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26847794. He was the leader of U.K.-based Islamist organizations Hizb ut-Tahrir and the now proscribed al-Muhajiroun.Mahan Abedin, “Al-Muhajiroun in the UK: Interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Jamestown Foundation, May 25, 2005, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=290&no_cache=1#.VTatGvnF8no. Under Bakri Muhammad’s leadership, al-Muhajiroun celebrated terrorist attacks and praised the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, attacks as the “magnificent 19.”Dominic Casciani, “Profile: Omar Bakri Muhammad,” BBC News, August 12, 2005, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4144892.stm. In October 2015, Lebanese authorities sentenced Bakri Muhammad to six years of hard labor on terrorism charges.Jenny Stanton, “Son of ‘Tottenham Ayatollah’ hate preacher Omar Bakri is killed fighting for ISIS in Iraq,” Daily Mail, December 29, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3377973/Son-Tottenham-Ayatollah-killed-Iraq-sources.html. He was released in March 2023.Rebecca Camber, Duncan Gardham, and Hannah McCarthy, “Notorious hate preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad whose group inspired Lee Rigby killers and London Bridge attackers is seen in family photo after Lebanon prison release,” Daily Mail (London), April 3, 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11934319/Notorious-hate-preacher-Omar-Bakri-Muhammad-seen-family-photo-Lebanon-prison-release.html.

Bakri Muhammad has influenced jihadists including Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebolawe who murdered British soldier Fusilier Rigby in May 2013 in London.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Hate cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad preaches killing of women and children on Facebook,” Telegraph, November 29, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11262996/Hate-cleric-Omar-Bakri-Muhammad-preaches-killing-of-women-and-children-on-Facebook.html. Bakri Muhammad reportedly helped convert Adebolajo. After Adebolajo and Adebolawe’s arrests, Bakri Muhammad justified the murder to British media.Kim Sengupta, “Exclusive: Woolwich killings suspect Michael Adebolajo was inspired by cleric banned from UK after urging followers to behead enemies of Islam,” Independent (London), May 24, 2013, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/exclusive-woolwich-killings-suspect-michael-adebolajo-was-inspired-by-cleric-banned-from-uk-after-8630125.html. Bakri Muhammad is also rumored to have ties to al-Qaeda and has called for the group’s flag to be flown over Lebanon’s presidential palace.Anne Barnard, “Lebanon Arrests Radical Cleric Who Backed Militants,” New York Times, May 25, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/26/world/middleeast/lebanon-arrests-radical-omar-bakri-muhammad.html?_r=0.

Bakri Muhammad has been imprisoned in Lebanon since May 2014.Ian Johnston, “Banned radical cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohamed arrested in Lebanon over ‘links to terrorism,’” Independent, May 26, 2014, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/banned-radical-cleric-sheikh-omar-bakri-mohamed-arrested-in-lebanon-over-links-to-terrorism-9434213.html. From Lebanese prison, he maintained an incendiary Facebook profile on which he supported the killing of “kuffar” [non-believers] women and children, and preached that Christians and Jews are the enemies of Muslims. Facebook deleted the page in November 2014 after the British Telegraph newspaper alerted the social media company to its existence. Nonetheless, the page had remained up for a year before its deletion.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Hate cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad preaches killing of women and children on Facebook,” Telegraph, November 29, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11262996/Hate-cleric-Omar-Bakri-Muhammad-preaches-killing-of-women-and-children-on-Facebook.html.

Bakri Muhammad was born in Syria and joined the Muslim Brotherhood there in the early 1970s at the age of 15. At age 17, he joined Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) in Lebanon. In a 2005 interview with the Jamestown Foundation, Bakri Muhammad said he had become disgusted by the Brotherhood’s transformation into a state political party in Syria and other countries. From Lebanon, Bakri Muhammad traveled to Egypt and then Saudi Arabia, where he created multiple cells of HT. By 1983, he claimed he had recruited 38 people to HT in Saudi Arabia. Because HT was officially banned in Saudi Arabia, however, he worked with HT organizers in neighboring Kuwait. But the HT leaders there did not approve of Bakri Muhammad’s activities and suspended him from the organization in 1983. In response, with the 38 HT members he had recruited in Saudi Arabia, Bakri Muhammad created al-Muhajiroun on March 3, 1983, the 59^th anniversary of the dissolution of the Ottoman caliphate.Mahan Abedin, “Al-Muhajiroun in the UK: Interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Jamestown Foundation, May 25, 2005, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=290&no_cache=1#.VTatGvnF8no.

Bakri Muhammad arrived in the United Kingdom on January 14, 1986. In coordination with HT’s leadership in Germany, Bakri Muhammad began to build the group’s U.K. chapter while also building up his al-Muhajiroun organization.Mahan Abedin, “Al-Muhajiroun in the UK: Interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Jamestown Foundation, May 25, 2005, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=290&no_cache=1#.VTatGvnF8no. In the 1990s, Bakri Muhammad met Anjem Choudary at a mosque in Woolrich, England. The two would go on to build the al-Muhajiroun network in the United Kingdom.Robert Mendick, “Hate preacher Anjem Choudary to be freed from jail despite remaining ‘genuinely dangerous,’” Telegraph (London), September 11, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/11/notorious-hate-preacher-anjem-choudary-released-prison-despite/. On January 16, 1996, Bakri Muhammad resigned from HT in response to what he called “a violation of Islamic rules” by HT’s global leader.Mahan Abedin, “Al-Muhajiroun in the UK: Interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Jamestown Foundation, May 25, 2005, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=290&no_cache=1#.VTatGvnF8no. Following his resignation, Bakri Muhammad devoted himself to building al-Muhajiroun independently of HT. According to Bakri Muhammad, al-Muhajiroun sought to establish a global Islamic caliphate and believed that both proselytization and jihad were necessary to establish this goal.Mahan Abedin, “Al-Muhajiroun in the UK: Interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Jamestown Foundation, May 25, 2005, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=290&no_cache=1#.VTatGvnF8no. British terrorism analyst Raffaello Pantucci linked al-Muhajiroun to half of the terror plots in the United Kingdom between 1995 and 2015.Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, “Radical Islamist group al-Muhajiroun linked to half of British terror attacks in past 20 years,” Independent (London), March 23, 2015, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/radical-islamist-group-al-muhajiroun-linked-to-half-of-british-terror-attacks-in-past-20-years-10128492.html.

Bakri Muhammad has denied that he or al-Muhajiroun recruited anybody to fight abroad. He claimed that he encouraged people to travel abroad to help their Muslim brothers but not to engage in violent activities.Mahan Abedin, “Al-Muhajiroun in the UK: Interview with Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Jamestown Foundation, May 25, 2005, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=290&no_cache=1#.VTatGvnF8no. Nonetheless, he has been linked to multiple violent jihadists, including Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind of the January 2015 Paris attacks. Abaaoud has been connected to the banned Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, for which Bakri Muhammad helped transport fighters to Syria.Jay Akbar, “Mastermind of Paris terror attacks was linked to at least six UK hate preachers including ‘Tottenham Ayatollah’ Omar Bakri Muhammad,” Daily Mail (London), November 22, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3329327/Mastermind-Paris-terror-attacks-linked-six-UK-hate-preachers-including-Tottenham-Ayatollah-Omar-Bakri-Muhammad.html. Mohammed Bilal, who blew himself up in Kashmir on December 25, 2000, was also reportedly one of Bakri Muhammad’s students.Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, “Radical Islamist group al-Muhajiroun linked to half of British terror attacks in past 20 years,” Independent (London), March 23, 2015, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/radical-islamist-group-al-muhajiroun-linked-to-half-of-british-terror-attacks-in-past-20-years-10128492.html. In 2016, an ISIS data breach revealed the names and information of 22,000 ISIS recruits. According to the leak, Bakri Muhammad had acted as a sponsor for multiple British jihadists who had gone on to join the terror organization.Josie Ensor and Raf Sanchez, “Islamic State leaks reveal banned cleric Omar Bakri recruited British jihadists,” Telegraph (London), March 10, 2016, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/12190513/Islamic-State-leaks-reveals-banned-cleric-Omar-Bakri-recruited-British-jihadists.html; Lexi Finnigan, “Isil leak of 1,736 top secret documents names ‘16 British terrorists,’” Telegraph (London), March 10, 2016, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/12189582/Isil-leak-of-1736-top-secret-documents-names-16-British-terrorists.html. Khuram Shazad Butt, one of the attackers in the June 3, 2017, London Bridge attacks, also allegedly belonged to al-Muhajiroun.Mark White, “London Bridge attackers were part of banned jihadi network,” Sky News, June 6, 2017, http://news.sky.com/story/london-bridge-attacker-khuram-butt-was-part-of-banned-jihadi-network-10906091.

Bakri Muhammad and Choudary dissolved al-Muhajiroun in 2004 ahead of a pending government ban. They reorganized the group under various aliases, including Islam4UK, Muslims Against Crusades, Call to Submission, Islamic Path, London School of Sharia, the Saved Sect of Savior Sect, Ahl ul-Sunnah Wa al-Jamma, and Al Ghurabaa. In 2010, the U.K. government banned al-Muhajiroun and its other iterations.“Ministers ban suspected aliases of banned extremist group,” BBC News, June 26, 2014, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28049374; “Proscribed Terrorist Organizations,” Home Office, accessed August 16, 2016, 6, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/538297/20160715-Proscription-website-update.pdf; “London cops sweep up 9 terror suspects,” CBS News, September 25, 2014, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/london-cops-sweep-up-9-terror-suspects-anjem-choudary/; Eilish O’Gara, “Radical UK Preacher Anjem Choudary Charged With Inviting Support for ISIS,” Newsweek, August 5, 2015, http://europe.newsweek.com/radical-uk-preacher-anjem-choudary-charged-inviting-support-isis-331221.

Bakri Muhammad left the United Kingdom for Lebanon in 2005, after which the U.K. Home Office permanently banned him from returning.Anne Barnard, “Lebanon Arrests Radical Cleric Who Backed Militants,” New York Times, May 25, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/26/world/middleeast/lebanon-arrests-radical-omar-bakri-muhammad.html?_r=0; “Britain Bars Cleric From Returning,” New York Times, August 12, 2005, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/12/international/europe/12cleric-wire.html. In 2010, Bakri Muhammad was arrested in northern Lebanon on charges of terrorism. He was sentenced to life in prison, but released on bail after multiple witnesses recanted their testimonies.Ian Johnston, “Banned radical cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohamed arrested in Lebanon over ‘links to terrorism,’” Independent, May 26, 2014, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/banned-radical-cleric-sheikh-omar-bakri-mohamed-arrested-in-lebanon-over-links-to-terrorism-9434213.html. Lebanese authorities arrested Bakri Muhammad again in 2014 for founding an organization affiliated with the Nusra Front and building training camps in Lebanon. He was sentenced the following year to six years of hard labor.Jenny Stanton, “Son of ‘Tottenham Ayatollah’ hate preacher Omar Bakri is killed fighting for ISIS in Iraq,” Daily Mail (London), December 29, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3377973/Son-Tottenham-Ayatollah-killed-Iraq-sources.html. He was released on March 30, 2023. Lebanese authorities confirmed his release on April 2 after images appeared on social media of Bakri Muhammad sitting on a couch with his family. A pro-ISIS Telegram channel and multiple pro-ISIS Twitter accounts praised Bakri Muhammad’s release.“Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Outlets Celebrate Release Of Al-Qaeda-Linked Jihadi Figure Who Spent 10 Years In Lebanese Prison On Terrorism Charges,” MEMRI, March 30, 2023, https://www.memri.org/jttm/pro-islamic-state-isis-media-outlets-celebrate-release-al-qaeda-linked-jihadi-figure-who-spent; Rebecca Camber, Duncan Gardham, and Hannah McCarthy, “Notorious hate preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad whose group inspired Lee Rigby killers and London Bridge attackers is seen in family photo after Lebanon prison release,” Daily Mail (London), April 3, 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11934319/Notorious-hate-preacher-Omar-Bakri-Muhammad-seen-family-photo-Lebanon-prison-release.html.

Hani al-Sibai is a U.S. and U.N.-designated Islamist preacher and recruiter located in London.“Treasury Designates Seven Al Qaida Associates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, October 3, 2005, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/js2960.aspx. In 2005, the U.S. Treasury accused him of “training and providing material support to al Qaida, as well as conspiring to commit terrorist acts.”“Treasury Designates Seven Al Qaida Associates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, October 3, 2005, http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/js2960.aspx. Similarly, the European Commission’s sanctions committee stated that al-Sibai “has provided material support to al-Qaeda and has conspired to commit terrorist acts.”Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html. The commission further accused al-Sibai of belonging to terrorist cells and instructing others to travel to Afghanistan.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html. Al-Sibai has denied links to al-Qaeda.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html.

Al-Sibai is known as a radical preacher and terrorist propagandist in the U.K. He is the founder and director of the Maqreze Center for Historical Studies in London, which he runs out of his home.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html. The center’s website hosts a number of al-Sibai’s lectures and videos“Biography of Sheikh Dr. Hani Sibai,” Al Maqreze Center for Historical Studies, accessed May 4, 2015, http://www.almaqreze.net/ar/articles_read.php?article_id=147. and has reportedly influenced young British jihadists.Ben Leapman, “Muslim terror suspect allowed to stay in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 19, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560703/Muslim-terror-suspect-allowed-to-stay-in-UK.html. He is suspected of radicalizing Mohammed Emwazi, better known as the ISIS terrorist Jihadi John.Jamie Doward, “My meeting with Mohammed Emwazi’s friend as they sought a radical path,” Guardian (Manchester), February 28, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/28/encounter-mohammed-ezzouek-friend-mohammed-emwazi-isis. He has appeared on Al Jazeera and other Arabic programs praising Islamist fighters and denigrating the West.

Al-Sibai described the July 7, 2005, London bombings as “a great victory” for al-Qaeda.Don Van Natta Jr. and Stephen Grey, “Investigators Are Clear Who Carried Bombs, but Have Far to Go to Explain More,” New York Times, July 18, 2005, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/18/international/europe/18intel.html. British pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat has called al-Sibai “an expert in Islamist fundamentalist groups.”Mohammed Al-Shafey, “Al-Qaeda’s Indian franchise not a response to ISIS: expert,” Asharq Al-Awsat, September 12, 2014, http://www.aawsat.net/2014/09/article55336504/al-qaedas-indian-franchise-not-a-response-to-isis-expert. Al-Sibai claims he is a Middle Eastern political analyst and that his comments have been in that context.Ben Leapman, “Muslim terror suspect allowed to stay in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 19, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560703/Muslim-terror-suspect-allowed-to-stay-in-UK.html.

Al-Sibai was born in Egypt where he trained as a defense attorney and reportedly provided legal representation to Islamist groups.Ben Leapman, “Muslim terror suspect allowed to stay in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 19, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560703/Muslim-terror-suspect-allowed-to-stay-in-UK.html. He was previously a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) which allied with al-Qaeda in 2001.Susan Sachs, “A NATION CHALLENGED: THE MIDEAST REACTION; Look at Bin Laden Is Unlikely to Change the Minds of Arabs Hostile to U.S.,” New York Times, December 14, 2001, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/14/world/nation-challenged-mideast-reaction-look-bin-laden-unlikely-change-minds-arabs.html. Current al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri formerly led the EIJ and reportedly has a long relationship with al-Sibai.Thomas Jocelyn, “Jihadist ideologues call on Zawahiri to detail problems with former al Qaeda affiliate,” Long War Journal, April 11, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/04/jihadist_ideologues.php?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jihadist-ideologues-call-on-zawahiri-to-detail-problems-with-former-al-qaeda-affiliate. Al-Zawahiri’s April 2014 call for ISIS to rejoin al-Qaeda was reportedly out of respect for al-Sibai, who requested the reconciliation.Thomas Jocelyn, “Zawahiri makes another attempt at reconciliation in Syria,” Long War Journal, May 2, 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/05/zawahiri_makes_anoth.php. Al-Sibai has also been tied to Adel Abdel Bari, an Egyptian-born senior al-Qaeda agent sentenced to 25 years in prison by the U.S. in February 2015.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html.

Al-Sibai moved to the U.K. in 1994 after an Egyptian court convicted him in absentia of plotting terrorist attacks with the EIJ.Ben Leapman, “Muslim terror suspect allowed to stay in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 19, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560703/Muslim-terror-suspect-allowed-to-stay-in-UK.html. Al-Sibai requested asylum, telling British authorities he had been tortured in Egypt for his connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and legal work with Islamist groups.Ben Leapman, “Muslim terror suspect allowed to stay in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 19, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560703/Muslim-terror-suspect-allowed-to-stay-in-UK.html. The U.K. denied his request but has been unable to carry out his deportation, despite calls from lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html; Ben Leapman, “Muslim terror suspect allowed to stay in UK,” Telegraph (London), August 19, 2007, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1560703/Muslim-terror-suspect-allowed-to-stay-in-UK.html. British human-rights law forbids the deportation of people if such actions would result in torture or death.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html. Al-Sibai remains a free man in the U.K. despite his U.N. designation and ties to jihadists.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html. He reportedly lives with his wife and five children in a west London home worth over $1.5 million.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html. Bed sheets and blankets cover the windows of his home, and neighbors report that al-Sibai leaves through a backdoor leading to an alley.Robert Mendick and Robert Verkaik, “Free to walk London’s streets, the extremist preacher and ‘mentor’ of Jihadi John,” Telegraph (London), April 25, 2015, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11563712/Free-to-walk-Londons-streets-the-extremist-preacher-and-mentor-of-Jihadi-John.html.

In 2016, it was reported al-Sibai claimed approximately £50,000 in yearly benefits for his wife and children from the British government.Jake Ryan, “Jihadi John hate preacher Hani al-Sibai is still spouting extremist ideology in the UK,” Sun, August 28, 2016, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1686118/jihadi-john-hate-preacher-hani-al-sibai-is-still-spouting-extremist-ideology-in-the-uk/. According to media reports, he told British officials that he was too unwell to work, could not walk without experiencing severe discomfort, and required assistance with bathing and getting dressed. In March 2017, the British government cut al-Sibai’s disability benefits, and the police began investigating him for benefits fraud. A Daily Mail investigation had revealed al-Sibai to apparently be in healthy physical condition.Paul Bentley, “London-Based Islamic preacher Linked to Tunisia Attacks has his Benefits Cut After a Mail Exposé Cast Doubt on his Claim to be Severely Disabled,” Daily Mail, March 10, 2017, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4303180/Islamic-preacher-linked-Tunisia-attacks-benefit-cut.html.

Al-Sibai has continued to provide media commentary on Islamic issues. In June 2020, he began speaking out against Syrian jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (“Levantine Conquest Front” or HTS) following the June 22 arrest of former British national Tauqir “Tox” Sharif, a.k.a. Abu Husam al-Britani, in Idlib, Syria, by HTS. Al-Sibai condemned HTS on June 30 and called for Sharif’s release. Al-Sibai directly called on HTS to adhere to sharia rather than incarcerating those who disagree with them. Sharif was released on July 15 and alleged HTS tortured him. Al-Sibai subsequently told American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem torture is illegal in Islam.“Striving for Hegemony: The HTS Crackdown on al-Qaida and Friends in Northwest Syria,” Jihadica, September 15, 2020, https://www.jihadica.com/striving-for-hegemony-the-hts-crackdown-on-al-qaida-and-friends-in-northwest-syria/.

Hammam Saeed is the secretary general of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. He has held the position since May 2008.“Jordan Muslim Brotherhood elects new, hawkish leader,” IkhwanWeb, May 1, 2008, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=16920. Saeed is part of the Brotherhood’s conservative bloc, which has close ties to Hamas.Taylor Luck, “Quiet divisions emerge as Brotherhood elects leaders,” Jordan Times, February 27, 2012, http://jordantimes.com/quiet-divisions-emerge-as-brotherhood-elects-leaders. Saeed is the first Jordanian of Palestinian origin to lead the Jordanian Brotherhood.Khalil Al-Anani, “The New Conservatives in the Arab World,” IkhwanWeb, May 28, 2008, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=17238.

Saeed has denounced Jordan’s participation in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS.Zhang Qizhi, “Jordan’s King Vows ‘Harsh Response’ to IS,” CRIEnglish.com, February 5, 2015, http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/02/05/3745s865032.htm. He believes Jordan should not participate in any effort led by the United States.Zhang Qizhi, “Jordan’s King Vows ‘Harsh Response’ to IS,” CRIEnglish.com, February 5, 2015, http://english.cri.cn/12394/2015/02/05/3745s865032.htm. Following the January 7, 2015, attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Saeed denounced France, saying “We want the French government to enact a law to prevent such assaults [against the prophet Mohammed], and if it does not do so, that means it is complicit in such assaults.”Muath Freij, “Over 1,000 people march in solidarity with Prophet Mohammed,” Jordan Times, January 17, 2015, http://jordantimes.com/over-1000-people-march-in-solidarity-with-prophet-mohammad.

Saeed has a close relationship with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal“Hammam Said,” Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, accessed May 29, 2015, http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/hammam-said. and has frequently called for the annulment of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel.Omar Akour, “Thousands protest Israel in Jordan over killing,” Associated Press, March 14, 2014, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/thousands-protest-israel-jordan-over-killing; Agence France-Presse, “Clashes erupt anew in Jerusalem, EU urges peace process,” Daily Star (Beirut), November 8, 2014, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Nov-08/276924-clashes-erupt-anew-in-jerusalem-eu-urges-peace-process.ashx. Saeed supports Hamas’s violent activities, and he has criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for curtailing Palestinian “armed struggle.”Bassem Eid, “Abbas under fire,” Jerusalem Post, December 10, 2014, http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Abbas-under-fire-384268. Israel has accused Saeed’s Brotherhood of providing material support to Hamas.”“‘Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood smuggling weapons to Palestinians,’” Times of Israel, December 8, 2014, http://www.timesofisrael.com/jordanian-mb-smuggling-weapons-to-palestinians/.

In early 2015, a reformist initiative within the Brotherhood—the Zamzam—created a new Muslim Brotherhood group in Jordan with the government’s approval.Taylor Luck, “Opportunistic move against Muslim Brotherhood exposes Jordan to risks,” Christian Science Monitor, March 19, 2015, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2015/0319/Opportunistic-move-against-Muslim-Brotherhood-exposes-Jordan-to-risks. Zamzam has called for a greater focus on Jordanian issues over Palestinian ties.Taylor Luck, “Opportunistic move against Muslim Brotherhood exposes Jordan to risks,” Christian Science Monitor, March 19, 2015, http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2015/0319/Opportunistic-move-against-Muslim-Brotherhood-exposes-Jordan-to-risks. The reformist group has also called for adherence to Jordanian civil law, in contrast with the traditional group’s devotion to sharia above civil law.Taylor Luck, “‘Zamzam trial threatens wider Muslim Brotherhood split,’” Jordan Times, December 3, 2013, http://jordantimes.com/zamzam-trial-threatens-wider-muslim-brotherhood-split. Zamzam ousted Saeed and installed Abdul Majid Thuneibat as the group’s leader.Khetam Malkawi, “New leaders of Brotherhood demand control over assets,” Jordan Times, March 7, 2015, http://jordantimes.com/new-leaders-of-brotherhood-demand-control-over-assets.

Saeed continues to lead the traditionalist Brotherhood branch. In March 2015, London’s Muslim Brotherhood recognized Saeed as the only leader of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood.“Muslim Brotherhood's Ibrahim Munir: We Recognize Only Hammam in Jordan,” IkhwanWeb, March 11, 2015, http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=32041. Saeed has called the reformist Brotherhood group a government conspiracy against the traditional Islamist organization.Khetam Malkawi, “Brotherhood’s shura council lashes out at newly formed group,” Jordan Times, March 22, 2015, http://jordantimes.com/brotherhoods-shura-council-lashes-out-at-newly-formed-group.

Amr Darrag is an American-educated senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood currently operating out of Istanbul, Turkey.Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt's military regime can be replaced with 'moderate' Islamic rule,” Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html. He is a founding member of the Egyptian Brotherhood’s outlawed Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) on whose platform Mohammed Morsi ran for president in 2012.Nancy Messieh, “Profiling Egypt's New Ministers,” Atlantic Council, May 7, 2013, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/egyptsource/profiling-egypts-new-ministers. Darrag served as Egypt’s former Minister of Planning and International Cooperation during the last two months of Morsi’s presidency.Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt's military regime can be replaced with 'moderate' Islamic rule,” Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html.

In the 1980s, Darrag reportedly developed an interest in the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood while studying for an engineering degree at Purdue University in the United States.Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt's military regime can be replaced with 'moderate' Islamic rule,” Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html; 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#AmrDarrag; “2013 U.S.-Islamic World Forum Speakers,” Brookings Institution, accessed June 1, 2015, http://www.brookings.edu/about/projects/islamic-world/usiwf-2013-speakers. He later recalled, “What attracted me was that these people had been exposed to a lot of suffering and torture and yet they held on to their principles. I asked myself: ‘Who are these people?’”Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt's military regime can be replaced with 'moderate' Islamic rule,” Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html; 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#AmrDarrag; “2013 U.S.-Islamic World Forum Speakers,” Brookings Institution, accessed June 1, 2015, http://www.brookings.edu/about/projects/islamic-world/usiwf-2013-speakers. During the 1990s, Darrag continued to learn about Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna and the Brotherhood’s history, and in 1999, Darrag became actively involved in the Brotherhood’s political committee.Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt's military regime can be replaced with 'moderate' Islamic rule,” Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html. In 2005, Egyptian police arrested Darrag, holding him for five months, over his involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood.Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt's military regime can be replaced with 'moderate' Islamic rule, Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html.

Following the FJP’s creation in 2011, Darrag acted as the party’s secretary in Giza, Egypt, and as the chairman of its Foreign Relations Committee.Nancy Messieh, “Profiling Egypt's New Ministers,” Atlantic Council, May 7, 2013, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/egyptsource/profiling-egypts-new-ministers. Between 2012 and 2013, Darrag served as the secretary-general of Egypt’s Constituent Assembly, which drafted and passed Egypt’s now-suspended post-Mubarak constitution.Mahmud El Shafey, “Egypt appoints nine new ministers in cabinet reshuffle,” Asharq al-Awsat (London), http://www.aawsat.net/2013/05/article55300966/egypt-appoints-nine-new-ministers-in-cabinet-reshuffle.

During the revolt against Morsi in June 2013, Darrag was reportedly in Moscow meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. According to Darrag, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced support for Morsi and sent his “best wishes.”David D. Kirkpatrick, “Army Ousts Egypt’s President; Morsi Is Taken Into Military Custody,” New York Times, July 3, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/world/middleeast/egypt.html; Robert Fisk, “Amr Darrag: Ex-Muslim Brotherhood minister in exile still believes Egypt’s military regime can be replaced with ‘moderate’ Islamic rule,” Independent (London), May 5, 2015, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/amr-darrag-exmuslim-brotherhood-minister-in-exile-still-believes-egypts-military-regime-can-be-replaced-with-moderate-islamic-rule-10227129.html Opinion pieces written by Darrag have appeared in numerous Western media outlets including the New York Times,Amr Darrag, “Egypt’s Blood, America’s Complicity,” New York Times, August 15, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/opinion/egypts-blood-americas-complicity.html?_r=0. Foreign Policy,Amr Darrag, “A Revolutionary Foreign Policy,” Foreign Policy, October 16, 2012, http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/10/16/a-revolutionary-foreign-policy/. and Middle East Eye.Amr Darrag, “Will foreign investors in Egypt have blood on their hands?” Middle East Eye, March 13, 2015, http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/will-foreign-investors-egypt-have-blood-their-hands-1406176913. In these articles, Darrag has propagated his Islamist and anti-Western viewpoints.

In March 2016, Darrag proposed the separation of the Muslim Brotherhood’s da’wa (proselytization) and religious work from its political activities and temporarily refraining from political mobilization for a set period in an effort to de-escalate the mounting confrontations with the regime.Marc Lynch, “In Uncharted Waters: Islamist Parties Beyond Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December 16, 2016, http://carnegieendowment.org/2016/12/16/in-uncharted-waters-islamist-parties-beyond-egypt-s-muslim-brotherhood-pub-66483.

In a December 2016 Facebook post addressed to “my people, my brothers, my loved, ones, and my friends,” Darrag announced his retirement from political work and his leadership position within the Brotherhood.“The Brotherhood Leader His Resignation From Any Position Within the Brotherhood Group,” al-Islamiyoun (Cairo), December 22, 2016, http://islamion.com/news/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B5%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/. He allegedly wrote, “I would like to deliver to you all a decisive and final decision that I adopted a while ago. I was waiting for the appropriate time to announce it. It is my retirement from all forms of public work as a politician or administrative officer, whether in the Freedom and Justice Party or the Muslim Brotherhood.”“The Brotherhood Leader His Resignation From Any Position Within the Brotherhood Group,” al-Islamiyoun (Cairo),  December 22, 2016, http://islamion.com/news/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B5%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/. Later that month, Darrag told Arabic-language newspaper Arabi21 that though he stepped down from his leadership position, he remained a member and supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.“Arabi 21 Talks with Amr Darrag After His Announcement of His Retirement from Public Work,” Arabi21 (Cairo), December 26, 2016, https://arabi21.com/story/973163/%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A21-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85. Darrag has remained a vocal advocate for Egypt. Since 2014, he has served as chairman of the Egyptian Institute for Political and Strategic Studies, using that position to comment on international relations in both traditional and social media.Amr Darrag, LinkedIn profile, accessed February 15, 2022, https://www.linkedin.com/in/amr-darrag-6b2b49181/?trk=public_profile_browsemap_profile-result-card_result-card_full-click&originalSubdomain=eg; “Amr Darrag,” Egyptian Institute for Political and Strategic Studies, accessed February 15, 2022, https://en.eipss-eg.org/author/amr-darragen/. In particular, he continues to speak out against the Egyptian government and call for investigations into Morsi’s June 2019 death.Amr Darrag, Twitter account, accessed February 15, 2022, https://twitter.com/amr_darrag?lang=en.

Mostafa Mahamed is an Australian- and U.S.-sanctioned preacher from Sydney who joined al-Qaeda’s former affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front (a.k.a. Jabhat Fateh al-Sham).David Wroe, “Notorious Australian jihadist pictured fighting against Islamic State,” Sydney Morning Herald, August 28, 2014, http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/notorious-australian-jihadist-pictured-fighting-against-islamic-state-20140828-109jxg.html. As director of the Nusra Front’s media relations, Mahamed disseminated materials on Twitter and has conducted a series of interviews with foreign media outlets in promotion of the group, including with the BBC and Sky News.SkyNews, “Syrian Rebel Group On Ending The Siege In Aleppo,” YouTube video, August 18, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG7VOuGYEF0;
BBC Newsnight, “Jabhat Fath al Sham in depth interview - BBC Newsnight,” YouTube video, September 16, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU1a61yAQWQ&feature=youtu.be. On October 17, 2016, Mostafa Mahamed posted an announcement via Twitter formally acknowledging his dissociation from the Nusra Front earlier that month to “pursue a number of projects independently.”Mostafa Mahamed, Twitter post, October 17, 2016, 3:18 p.m., https://twitter.com/AbuSulaymanMM/status/788096804709687297. According to the announcement, Mahamed did not resign as a result of the group’s formal distancing from al-Qaeda, a move which he said he believed was “in the best interest of [the Nusa Front].”Mostafa Mahamed, Twitter post, October 17, 2016, 3:18 p.m., https://twitter.com/AbuSulaymanMM/status/788096804709687297.

Before Mahamed’s purported resignation, the Nusra Front representative had been described in various news outlets as Australia’s highest ranking al-Qaeda member,Geoff Chambers, “Aussie sheik Abu Sulayman is hunted by both IS and US forces,” Daily Telegraph (London), October 15, 2014, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/aussie-sheik-abu-sulayman-is-hunted-by-both-is-and-us-forces/story-fnpn0zn5-1227090642757; Dylan Welch, “Abu Sulayman: The rise of Australia's most senior man in Al Qaeda,” ABC News, July 25, 2016, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-25/abu-sulayman-australias-most-senior-alqaeda-operative/7657744.with Australian officials calling Mahamed a “magnet” for foreign fighters traveling to Syria.Geoff Chambers, “Aussie sheik Abu Sulayman is hunted by both IS and US forces,” Daily Telegraph (London), October 15, 2014, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/aussie-sheik-abu-sulayman-is-hunted-by-both-is-and-us-forces/story-fnpn0zn5-1227090642757. During his time with the Nsura Front, Mahamed had reportedly occupied a number of high-level positions, including serving as a member of the group’s General Islamic Council, as well as a senior spiritual advisor and top sharia official.Mark Schliebs, “Top Aussie terrorist warns of ‘perpetual war’ on Twitter,” Australian (Surry Hills), May 14, 2015, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/terror/top-aussie-terrorist-warns-of-perpetual-war-on-twitter/story-fnpdbcmu-1227354039977; Geoff Chambers, “Aussie sheik Abu Sulayman is hunted by both IS and US forces,” Daily Telegraph (London), October 15, 2014, http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/aussie-sheik-abu-sulayman-is-hunted-by-both-is-and-us-forces/story-fnpn0zn5-1227090642757; Mosafa Mahamed, Twitter profile, accessed September 29, 2016, https://twitter.com/AbuSulaymanMM.

Although unconfirmed, Mahamed reportedly remains on a U.S. kill list.Mark Schliebs, “Kill-list Aussie terrorist Mostafa Mahamed launches PR blitz,” Australian (Sydney), June 28, 2016, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/terror/killlist-aussie-terrorist-mostafa-mahamed-launches-pr-blitz/news-story/19c3b35f08590fa8245ee87c2a4ba503. Mahamed was sanctioned by the U.S. government in May 2016, at which point the U.S. government noted Mahamed’s success in both recruiting Australians to the Nusra Front as well as helping to finance it.“Treasury Designates Al-Qaida, Al-Nusrah Front, AQAP, And Isil Fundraisers And Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, May 19, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0462.aspx.