Muhammad Abbatay a.k.a. Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi

Muhammad Abbatay, better known as Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi, is Moroccan national and U.S.-designated leader for al-Qaeda. Al-Maghrebi allegedly is an Iran-based key leader, and the longtime director of al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s media arm.“Wanted Information that brings to justice…Muhammad Abbatay (‘Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi),” Rewards for Justice, January 12, 2021, https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/muhammad_abbatay.html. The U.S. Treasury and U.S. Department of State designated al-Maghrebi as a Specially Designated National (SDN) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on January 12, 2021.“United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida,” U.S. Department of State, January 12, 2021, https://www.state.gov/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/; “Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, January 12, 2021, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20210112.

The son-in-law of al-Qaeda co-founder, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Maghrebi allegedly left Morocco in 1996 to study software programming in Cologne, Germany. A few years later, in 1999, al-Maghrebi left Germany for Afghanistan to train at the al-Faruq camp near Kandahar before being pulled from training by Khalid Sheikh Muhammad—the head of both al-Qaeda’s External Operations and Media Committee—and was reassigned to work for al-Qaeda’s Media Committee.Rohan Gunaratna & Anders Nielsen, “Al Qaeda in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Beyond,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, December 30, 2008, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10576100802291568.

Given al-Maghrebi’s software expertise and computer skills, al-Maghrebi quickly became an asset for the group’s Media Committee and eventually took on the role as director of al-Sahab—al-Qaeda’s media arm. Allegedly, after the fall of Afghanistan in 2001, al-Maghrebi fled to Iran but reportedly relocated to Pakistan in 2003.Rohan Gunaratna & Anders Nielsen, “Al Qaeda in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Beyond,” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, December 30, 2008, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10576100802291568.

According to documents recovered from the 2011 military operation against Osama bin Laden, al-Maghrebi has been a rising star in al-Qaeda for many years. In 2012, al-Maghrebi began serving as al-Qaeda’s general manager in Afghanistan and Pakistan, before relocating to Iran due to years of international counterterrorism pressure. While in Iran, al-Maghrebi became head of al-Qaeda’s External Communications Office where he supervised and coordinated al-Qaeda’s and al-Qaeda’s activities worldwide.“Wanted Information that brings to justice…Muhammad Abbatay (‘Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi),” Rewards for Justice, January 12, 2021, https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/muhammad_abbatay.html.

On January 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Maghrebi as an SDGT.“United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida,” U.S. Department of State, January 12, 2021, https://www.state.gov/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/. The same day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanction-designated al-Maghrebi as an SDN.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, January 12, 2021, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/recent-actions/20210112. Additionally, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program announced a reward for up to $7 million for information regarding al-Maghrebi’s location.“United States Takes Action to Counter Iranian Support for al-Qa’ida,” U.S. Department of State, January 12, 2021, https://www.state.gov/united-states-takes-action-to-counter-iranian-support-for-al-qaida/.

On July 31, 2022, a CIA drone struck and killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan.Idrees Ali, “Al Qaeda leader Zawahiri killed in CIA drone strike in Afghanistan - U.S. officials,” Reuters, August 1, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/cia-carried-out-drone-strike-afghanistan-us-officials-say-2022-08-01/; Matthew Lee, Nomaan Merchant, Mike Balsamo, and James Laporta“Biden: Drone strike on al-Qaida leader delivered ‘justice,’” Associated Press, August 1, 2022, https://apnews.com/article/ayman-al-zawahri-al-qaida-terrorism-biden-36e5f10256c9bc9972b252849eda91f2. Following Zawahiri’s death, al-Qaeda scholars have suggested that al-Maghrebi could be a potential successor to lead the terror group given his close relationship to Zawahiri as well as his status within al-Qaeda’s senior leadership.Snigdha Choudhury, “Explained: Who Will Be The Next Al-Qaeda Leader And What Is The Process To Pick New Emir,” India, August 4, 2022, https://www.india.com/explainer/explained-who-will-be-the-next-al-qaeda-leader-and-what-is-the-process-to-pick-new-emir-5552869/.

Also Known As

Extremist entity
Al-Qaeda
Type(s) of Organization:
Non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
Ideologies and Affiliations:
Jihadist, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
Position(s):
Director of media

Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks was the deadliest ever on American soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. Since the fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda has established operations worldwide, including in Syria, the Gulf, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.

  • Designations

United States

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Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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