Airat Vakhitov is a former Guantanamo Bay detainee and alleged member of ISIS. Arrested in Afghanistan by the Taliban in 1999, Vakhitov was eventually transferred to U.S. custody and held at the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for two years before extradition to Russia.“The Guantanamo Docket: Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed July 7, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/492-aiat-nasimovich-vahitov. He was arrested by Turkish authorities in July 2016 in connection to the June 28, 2016, triple suicide bombings at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. According to Russian security services, Vakhitov fought, recruited, and fundraised for ISIS prior to his arrest.Fatima Tlisova, “Russian Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Linked to Turkey Airport Attack,” Voice of America, July 5, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-guantanamo-detainee-turkey-airport-attack/3405302.html.

Vakhitov was born in 1977 in Naberyozhnyj Chelny in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan.“Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 13, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20160713.aspx. His mother sent him to a madrassa (Islamic religious school), where he reportedly outperformed his peers in religious studies. Vakhitov continued his education at a strict Turkish madrassa at which teachers reportedly beat students with sticks. He reportedly fled the school and attempted to cross into Georgia, but was stopped by Georgian border officers and detained at a juvenile prison for several weeks.Nabi Abdullaev, “From Russia to Cuba Via Afghanistan,” Moscow Times, December 18, 2002, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/from-russia-to-cuba-via-afghanistan/241435.html.

In 1991, Vakhitov enrolled in a Russian madrassa called Yildyz to become an imam. Russian authorities closed Yildyz in September 2000 after several former students were alleged to have carried out terrorist attacks.Nabi Abdullaev, “From Russia to Cuba Via Afghanistan,” Moscow Times, December 18, 2002, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/from-russia-to-cuba-via-afghanistan/241435.html. Vakhitov reportedly assumed leadership of a Salafist mosque in Tatarstan, Russia, after his graduation from Yildyz in 1996.Andrew McGregor, “A Sour Freedom: The Return of Russia’s Guantanamo Bay Prisoners,” Jamestown Foundation, accessed July 7, 2016, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3258&no_cache=1#.V35qyI-cGM9.

Vakhitov reportedly made several trips to Chechnya during the next three years. He was arrested by Chechen forces in February 1999 for allegedly spying for the Russian government, which was struggling to contain Chechnya’s ongoing movement for independence. He was reportedly jailed for two months, during which he was regularly beaten. Vakhitov was released in April 1999, and returned to Russia as an imam at his mosque in Tatarstan. After his return, according to Russian newspapers, members of Vakhitov’s mosque said he became aggressive and would “attack people with his fists or even pull out a knife.”Nabi Abdullaev, “From Russia to Cuba Via Afghanistan,” Moscow Times, December 18, 2002, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/from-russia-to-cuba-via-afghanistan/241435.html. In October 1999, Vakhitov was forced to resign from the mosque, and was subsequently arrested by Russian authorities, following sermons in which he denounced Russia’s military actions in the North Caucasus. He was released after 10 weeks due to lack of evidence against him.Nabi Abdullaev, “From Russia to Cuba Via Afghanistan,” Moscow Times, December 18, 2002, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/from-russia-to-cuba-via-afghanistan/241435.html.

According to the Department of Defense’s Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF), in December 1999 Vakhitov traveled by train from Naberyozhyj, Russia, to Qurghonteppa, Tajikistan. He then crossed into Afghanistan and settled in the northeastern city of Imam Sab, where he was arrested by the Taliban on suspicion of being a Russian spy. He was subsequently imprisoned in Kandahar.“The Guantanamo Docket: Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed July 7, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/492-aiat-nasimovich-vahitov. While he was held captive by the Taliban, Vakhitov’s mother told French newspaper Le Monde that her son had crossed into Afghanistan with others before the Taliban captured him. But Vakhitov later claimed that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) kidnapped him while he was in Tajikistan and transferred him to Taliban custody in Afghanistan.“Interview with Airat Vakhitov – Russian former Guantanamo detainee,” CAGE, October 29, 2014, https://www.cage.ngo/interview-airat-vakhitov-russian-former-guantanamo-detainee. While in detention, Vakhitov told a reporter from Le Monde that he had been held for seven months in “total darkness.” According to Vakhitov, “Two nights a week [I am] beaten until dawn and they [scream], ‘Confess, you brute, that you are the KGB agent.’”Nabi Abdullaev, “From Russia to Cuba Via Afghanistan,” Moscow Times, December 18, 2002, http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/from-russia-to-cuba-via-afghanistan/241435.html. He was reportedly hung by his hands and whipped with electrical wire. Vakhitov was held for a year before he was transferred to another Kandahar prison controlled by the IMU.Andrew McGregor, “A Sour Freedom: The Return of Russia’s Guantanamo Bay Prisoners,” Jamestown Foundation, accessed July 7, 2016, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3258&no_cache=1#.V35qyI-cGM9.

Vakhitov was transferred to U.S. control in late 2001 under unclear circumstances. He claims he was sold to U.S. forces for $5,000. U.S. authorities reportedly questioned Vakhitov on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. He said that he would reveal such information if he was given blankets and warm food. After receiving those items, Vakhitov teased that he had seen a photo of bin Laden on the cover of Time magazine. He was reportedly locked in a cell for six months following this incident. Andrew McGregor, “A Sour Freedom: The Return of Russia’s Guantanamo Bay Prisoners,” Jamestown Foundation, accessed July 7, 2016, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3258&no_cache=1#.V35qyI-cGM9.

Vakhitov was held for a year at Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Force Base.Mark Oliver, “‘They couldn’t take away my dignity,’” Guardian (London), November 18, 2005, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/nov/18/guantanamo.usa#third. He was transferred to Guantanamo on June 13, 2002, due to his knowledge of an American citizen who was killed inside the same Kandahar prison in which he had been detained, according to the JTF.“The Guantanamo Docket: Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed July 7, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/492-aiat-nasimovich-vahitov;
Fatima Tlisova, “Russian Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Linked to Turkey Airport Attack,” Voice of America, July 5, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-guantanamo-detainee-turkey-airport-attack/3405302.html.

In December 2002, the JTF assessed that Vakhitov was affiliated with neither al-Qaeda nor the Taliban, held “no further intelligence value,” and posed no future threat to the United States or its allies. The JTF recommended that Vakhitov be transferred to the control of the Russian government. He was transferred to Russia two years later on February 27, 2004.“The Guantanamo Docket: Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed July 7, 2016, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/492-aiat-nasimovich-vahitov.

Upon his transfer to Russia, Vakhitov was released by a Russian court, which was unable to produce evidence of terrorist activities.Fatima Tlisova, “Russian Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Linked to Turkey Airport Attack,” Voice of America, July 5, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-guantanamo-detainee-turkey-airport-attack/3405302.html. One year later, he was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service for unclear reasons, and held for two months without charges. Following his 2005 release, Vahitov reportedly denounced his Russian citizenship and was granted asylum in the Middle East, though the name of his host country was not released. He reportedly lived in Istanbul for several years prior to his 2016 arrest.Fatima Tlisova, “Russian Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Linked to Turkey Airport Attack,” Voice of America, July 5, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-guantanamo-detainee-turkey-airport-attack/3405302.html.

In June 2005, Vakhitov and the human-rights NGO Reprieve planned to file a lawsuit against the U.S. government alleging that guards had psychologically tortured him and other prisoners.“Russian who was kept at Guantanamo sues U.S. government,” Sputnik News, June 28, 2005, https://sputniknews.com/russia/2005062840774868/; Andrew McGregor, “A Sour Freedom: The Return of Russia’s Guantanamo Bay Prisoners,” Jamestown Foundation, accessed July 7, 2016, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3258&no_cache=1#.V35qyI-cGM9. As of June 2018, Reprieve did not list Vakhitov in its open or closed Guantanamo case files.“Guantanamo Bay,” Reprieve, accessed June 4, 2018, https://reprieve.org.uk/topic/guantanamo-bay/. That November, Vakhitov spoke at the Amnesty International Summit in London about his experience as a Guantanamo detainee, and claimed to be a victim of torture at the hands of U.S. interrogators. Later, Vakhitov posted several online videos mocking the United States’ interrogation methods. He claimed the United States tortured him by using “exceptionally beautiful women” as interrogators, and claimed that Russian torture was much more physical and rough.Fatima Tlisova, “Russian Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Linked to Turkey Airport Attack,” Voice of America, July 5, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-guantanamo-detainee-turkey-airport-attack/3405302.html.

On July 5, 2016, Vakhitov was among 30 individuals arrested and charged in Turkey in connection to the June 28, 2016, triple suicide bombings that killed 45 individuals and wounded over 230 at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. Russian authorities suspect Vakhitov of recruiting foreign fighters and fundraising for ISIS—as well as fighting in Syria and Iraq—prior to his arrest.Fatima Tlisova, “Russian Ex-Guantanamo Detainee Linked to Turkey Airport Attack,” Voice of America, July 5, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-guantanamo-detainee-turkey-airport-attack/3405302.html. The U.S. government sanction-designated Vakhitov as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist later that month. The designation does not mention the Ataturk bombings.“Executive Order 13224 Designation of Ayrat Nasimovich Vakhitov, aka Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov, aka Airat Vakhitov, aka Aryat Vakhitov, aka Airat Wakhitov, aka Taub Ayrat Vakhitov, aka Salman Bulgarsky, aka Salman Bulgarskiy, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” Federal Register, July 14, 2016, https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/07/14/2016-16569/executive-order-13224-designation-of-ayrat-nasimovich-vakhitov-aka-aiat-nasimovich-vahitov-aka-airat; “Counter Terrorism Designations,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, July 13, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20160713.aspx. In November 2017, Turkey began court proceedings against 17 suspects whose identities were not publicly revealed. Vakhitov was not among six suspects released soon after the trial began.“Trial begins in Turkey over IS attack on Istanbul airport,” Deutsche Welle, November 13, 2017, http://www.dw.com/en/trial-begins-in-turkey-over-is-attack-on-istanbul-airport/a-41360914; “Istanbul Court Releases 6 Suspects in Ataturk Airport Attacks,” Sputnik News, November 16, 2017, https://sputniknews.com/world/201711161059139133-istanbul-court-ataturk-suspects-release/; “Turkish court releases six suspects on 2016 ISIS attack to Istanbul Airport,” Ahval, November 17, 2017, https://ahvalnews.com/isis/turkish-court-releases-six-suspects-2016-isis-attack-istanbul-airport. The U.S. non-profit group Truthout claims that Vakhitov was, in fact, arrested for visa irregularities, not in connection to the bombings. According to Truthout, Vakhitov’s trial was ongoing as of May 2017.Aisha Maniar, “The “Stamp of Guantánamo” Brands Russian Former Prisoners for Life,” Truthout, May 7, 2017, https://truthout.org/articles/the-stamp-of-guantanamo-brands-russian-former-prisoners-for-life/.

Saudi-born U.S. citizen Samir Khan was a propagandist for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the creator of the group’s English-language magazine Inspire. In October 2009, Khan left his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and traveled to Yemen to join AQAP.Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013;
Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php;
“AQAP's Radicalization Efforts in the West Take Another Hit,” Stratfor, September 30, 2011, https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/aqaps-radicalization-efforts-west-take-another-hit. He was killed in a U.S. airstrike on September 30, 2011, in Yemen’s Jawf province. The airstrike specifically targeted U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, AQAP’s prolific propagandist and director of external operations.Robbie Brown and Kim Severson, “2^nd American in Strike Waged Qaeda Media War,” New York Times, September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/middleeast/samir-khan-killed-by-drone-spun-out-of-the-american-middle-class.html?_r=0;
Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013.

Khan was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1985 to Pakistani parents. His family moved to the United States in 1991, eventually settling in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2004.Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php;
Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013. According to Musta Elturk, a prominent imam who knew the Khan’s, Samir immersed himself in Islam in order to “stay away from the peer pressure of his teenage days.”Robbie Brown and Kim Severson, “2^nd American in Strike Waged Qaeda Media War,” New York Times, September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/middleeast/samir-khan-killed-by-drone-spun-out-of-the-american-middle-class.html?_r=0. Khan wrote for his high school newspaper, a skill that—according to an AQAP biography of Khan released after his death—would help him produce future jihadist publications.Robbie Brown and Kim Severson, “2^nd American in Strike Waged Qaeda Media War,” New York Times, September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/middleeast/samir-khan-killed-by-drone-spun-out-of-the-american-middle-class.html?_r=0;
Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php.

As a teenager, Khan believed the 9/11 attacks were the result of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, according to his biography. During school, he reportedly refused to recite the pledge of allegiance.Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php. Khan began reading extremist websites, and watched videos of suicide bombers in Iraq.Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013;
Robbie Brown and Kim Severson, “2^nd American in Strike Waged Qaeda Media War,”  New York Times, September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/middleeast/samir-khan-killed-by-drone-spun-out-of-the-american-middle-class.html?_r=0. His father made numerous failed attempts to dissuade Khan from the extremist content by introducing him to various imams and Islamic scholars in his community.Robbie Brown and Kim Severson, “2^nd American in Strike Waged Qaeda Media War,” New York Times, September 30, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/world/middleeast/samir-khan-killed-by-drone-spun-out-of-the-american-middle-class.html?_r=0.

In 2007, Khan launched an online blog called “A Martyr, God Willing,” in which he praised al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and used sarcastic language in order to attract other impressionable western youth, according to ABC News.Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013. In an interview in 2007 with the New York Times, Khan admitted that his favorite online video depicted a suicide bomber striking a U.S. military base in Iraq. Khan described the video as “something that brought great happiness to me…because this is something America would never want to admit, that they are being crushed.”Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013;
Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet, “An Internet Jihad Aims at U.S. Viewers,” New York Times, October 15, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/us/15net.html?_r=0. Khan spent several years disseminating extremist content online while living in his father’s house.Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013.

In early 2009, while living in North Carolina, Khan created an online English-language magazine titled Jihad Recollections, which was ultimately released by al-Qaeda’s al-Furan Media. The publication called for attacks against non-Muslims, and was reported to be the precursor to AQAP’s Inspire. During this time, Khan was in contact with U.S. extremist Jesse Morton, who operated the extremist website revolutionmuslim.com. According to the FBI, Morton authorized Khan to post content on his website, and also provided Khan with two articles for Jihad Recollections. Khan released four issues of Jihad Recollections before traveling to Sana’a, Yemen, in October 2009 to join AQAP.Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013;
Eric Shawn, “Glossy Internet Magazine Targets Americans for Jihad Training,” Fox News, May 1, 2009, http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/05/01/glossy-internet-magazine-targets-americans-for-jihad-training.html;
“Jihad Recollections,” SITE Intelligence Group, accessed 6/10/2016, https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/index.php?option=com_customproperties&view=search&tagId=452&Itemid=726;
“Leader of Revolution Muslim Pleads Guilty to Using Internet to Solicit Murder and Encourage Violent Extremism,” FBI, February 9, 2012, https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/washingtondc/press-releases/2012/leader-of-revolution-muslim-pleads-guilty-to-using-internet-to-solicit-murder-and-encourage-violent-extremism.

As a member of AQAP, Khan was reportedly mentored by Anwar al-Awlaki, who took interest in Khan’s blogging and online magazine experience. Al-Awlaki, who typically relied on traditional sermons, reportedly saw value in Khan’s computer skills—as well as his unique ability to use American vernacular—in order to recruit young Muslims.Mark Schone and Matthew Cole, “American Jihadi Samir Khan Killed With Awlaki,” ABC News, September 30, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jihadi-samir-khan-killed-awlaki/story?id=14640013;
Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php.

Khan released the first issue of Inspire magazine in the summer of 2010. Inspire, which he reportedly called “America’s worst nightmare,” was a revitalized version of Jihad Recollections, according to AQAP’s biography of Khan.Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php. Starting in 2010, Khan reportedly worked alongside Minh Quang Pham, a Vietnamese-born British convert to Islam who used his graphic design skills to help edit the magazine. Pham was later arrested in June 2012 in the United Kingdom after attempting to prepare a suicide attack on London Heathrow International Airport.“Minh Quang Pham,” Counter Extremism Project, accessed June, 10, 2016, http://www.counterextremism.com/extremists/minh-quang-pham.

Khan went on to edit seven more issues of Inspire, to which he contributed numerous articles. Inspire called for lone wolf attacks in the U.S., featured sermons by clerics such as al-Awlaki, and glorified al-Qaeda leaders including Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden. Khan was responsible for authoring an infamous article titled “How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom,” which provided instructions on rudimentary bomb making.Oren Adaki, “AQAP publishes biography of American jihadist Samir Khan,” Long War Journal, November 2014, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/11/aqap_releases_biogra_1.php. A copy of the article was reportedly found on the laptop of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who carried out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings alongside his brother, Tamerlan. The perpetrators of the December 2015 San Bernardino shooting, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, reportedly “reviewed instructions on how to make IEDs that were in Inspire Magazine,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.Richard Vladmanis, “Boston bomb suspect influenced by Al Qaeda: expert witness,” Reuters, March 23, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-boston-bombings-trial-idUSKBN0MJ0Z620150323;
“California Man Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorism and Being ‘Straw Purchaser’ of Assault Rifles Ultimately Used in San Bernardino, California, Attack,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-charged-conspiring-provide-material-support-terrorism-and-being-straw. According to Ben Venzke, CEO of the private intelligence firm IntelCenter, Inspire provides individuals in the West with “inspiration, ideological framework, targeting philosophy and practical mechanics of building a bomb or conducting a shooting.”Suzanne Kelly, “Samir Khan: Proud to be an American traitor,” CNN, September 30, 2011, http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/30/world/meast/analysis-yemen-samir-khan/.

Khan was killed alongside Anwar al-Awlaki in a September 30, 2011, U.S. drone strike that specifically targeted al-Awlaki.Jere Van Dyk, “Who were the 4 U.S. citizens killed in drone strikes?,” CBS News, May 23, 2013, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-were-the-4-us-citizens-killed-in-drone-strikes/. AQAP continues to publish Inspire.“Issue 14 of AQAP’s “Inspire” Magazine Focuses on Assassinations, Provides targets and Methods,” SITE Intelligence, September 9, 2015, http://news.siteintelgroup.com/blog/index.php/categories/jihad/entry/397-issue-14-of-aqap%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cinspire%E2%80%9D-magazine-focuses-on-assassinations,-provides-targets-and-methods.

Tarkhan Ismailovich Gaziyev is the U.S.-designated leader of Tarkhan Jamaat, a Syrian-based ISIS-linked group.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm#. The group is composed of former fighters in the Chechen insurgency who traveled to Syria in 2010. The group operates in Syria’s Latakia province.Thomas Joscelyn, “US government targets Islamic State’s foreign fighters in new designations,” Long War Journal, September 29, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/09/treasury-targets-islamic-states-foreign-fighters-in-new-designations.php;
Joanna Paraszczuk, “Criminal Cases Opened Against Two Chechens Suspected Of Fighting In Syria,” Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, April 27, 2015, http://www.rferl.org/content/chechens-criminal-case-syria-fighting/26981356.html.

Gaziyev hails from the North Caucasus region in Russia. He joined the Chechen insurgency in 2003 and, in 2007, became the “Caucasus Emirate Commander of the Southwestern Front in Chechnya,” according to the U.S. Department of State. Gaziyev carried out numerous attacks under this position.Elsa Buchanan, “Isis: Who is on the US most-wanted jihadist list,” International Business Times (London), October 1, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-who-are-us-most-wanted-jihadists-list-1522031. He split from insurgency forces in 2010, and traveled to Syria via Turkey, where he established Tarkhan Jamaat.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm#; “QDi.366 Tarkhan Ismailovich Gaziev,” United Nations Security Council, October 2, 2015, http://www.un.org/sc/committees//1267/NSQDi366E.shtml;
“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm#.

On September 29, 2015, the United States Department of State designated Gaziyev as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm#. He was further designated by the United Nations and European Union in October 2015.“Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Adds Names of Six Individuals to Its Sanctions List,” United Nations, October 2, 2015, http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc12067.doc.htm; “Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1815,” EUR-Lex, October 8, 2015, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32015R1815. Gaziyev is also wanted by Russian authorities for terrorism-related crimes committed inside its borders.“QDi.366 Tarkhan Ismailovich Gaziev,” United Nations Security Council, October 2, 2015, http://www.un.org/sc/committees//1267/NSQDi366E.shtml.

Ariel Bradley is an American convert to Islam who married a Swedish Muslim man she met online. They have lived in Syria with their two children since 2014. Bradley’s husband, Yasin Mohamad, is a jihadist fighter with ISIS.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Bradley grew up in Hixson, a suburb of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mohammad Abdulazeez—the gunman who killed four Marines in an attack on two military bases in Chattanooga in July 2015—was also from Hixson.Lucas L. Johnson and Kathleen Foody, “4 Marines and gunman die in attack on 2 military sites,” Associated Press, July 17, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/76b0bb1e8dda406d89972592b1c3832e/mayor-police-pursuing-active-shooter-chattanooga-tenn;
Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Bradley is the third of five children. She told her friends that her family was so impoverished she would forget what milk tasted like. Bradley’s father, Aljon, worked at the Coca-Cola bottling plant. Bradley’s mother, Dianne, homeschooled Ariel with a focus on the doctrine of the Pentecostal Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee. Bradley had a strained relationship with her mother and her religion. Dianne Bradley did not focus as much on giving her daughter a secular education. Bradley studied for her GED, but did not take the test because she could not afford the prep classes, according to friends. She ran away from home when she was 15 or 16 years old, and spent the next several years rebelling against her parents by adopting several different religions.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

According to Bradley’s friends, she changed her identity based on the man with whom she was involved, and defined herself by her relationships. She was always looking for an identity “to cling to,” they said. Bradley became an atheist and a socialist before converting to Islam, and her friends believe she was brainwashed by ISIS.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Bradley held several part-time jobs in Chattanooga. In 2010, she began work at University Deli & Pizza in Chattanooga. The Palestinian owner from Jerusalem served several Arabic dishes, which made the restaurant popular with international students at the University of Tennessee. While working there Bradley met an Arab engineering student who interested her in Islam.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

According to the student and Bradley’s friends, the student’s rejection of a romantic relationship with Bradley spurred her to stop drinking alcohol and begin researching Islam. Bradley converted in the spring of 2011. According to Bradley’s Muslim friends, she took a more orthodox approach to Islam after her conversion. She moved out of the house she shared with Muslim friends because they were not religious enough and moved in with her older sister.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Bradley joined the Islamic dating website Half Our Deen. In August 2011, she matched with Yasin Mohamad in Sweden. Mohamad told Bradley he was an Iraqi refugee. They were engaged within a few months. Mohamad then convinced Bradley to cut off all relationships with unrelated men. They were married in Sweden in December 2011, days after their first meeting.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Bradley soon returned to Chattanooga while Swedish authorities processed her citizenship application. At her husband’s request, Bradley began purging her Facebook friends of all men. Bradley returned to Chattanooga in late 2012 for prenatal care and her daughter was born in Tennessee that December. They returned to Sweden soon after.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

It is unknown when exactly Bradley and her family traveled to Syria. Bradley told her mother in early 2015 that she and her husband were going on a “mission trip” to the Middle East to help his family. In April 2015, Bradley wrote on Twitter that they had been in Syria for over a year and in al-Bab for the past eight months. Her son was born in Syria in 2014.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Bradley has actively posted on Twitter while in Syria, using variations of the names “Umm Aminah” and “Emarah bint Aljon.” In February 2015, she tweeted a request for prayers because of the difficulty of being a non-Arabic speaker, mother, and “wife of a mujahid” in Syria. That July, she used Twitter to praise an attack on two military bases in Chattanooga that left four Marines dead.Ellie Hall, “Whatever Happened to Ariel?,” BuzzFeed News, July 20, 2015, http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/woman-journey-from-chattanooga-to-isis#.bvZqmjPWm.

Mohamad Khweis is an American foreign fighter for ISIS who surrendered to Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq in March 2016, allegedly in order to escape ISIS and return to the United States.Tracy Connor, “Captured American Mohamad Khweis Talks About His Time With ISIS,” NBC News, March 18, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/bad-decision-captured-american-mohamed-khweis-talks-about-his-time-n541081. A U.S. federal jury convicted Khweis in June 2017 of providing material support to ISIS. He received a sentence of 20 years in prison.“American Sentenced to 20 Years for Joining ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, October 27, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/american-sentenced-20-years-joining-isis.

According to an FBI affidavit, Khweis claims he first became interested in ISIS in mid-2015. He allegedly started watching videos online showing ISIS executions in preparation for joining the group. Khweis told U.S. investigators that he knew that ISIS employed violence but that the group also engaged in peaceful and humanitarian efforts. He said ISIS wanted to take over the United States, and admitted to using social media to contact ISIS members to learn about going abroad.United States of America v. Mohamad Jamal Khweis Criminal Complaint,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 11, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/865806/download.

Khweis left the United States for London in December 2015. From there he traveled to Amsterdam and then to Turkey.“American Islamic State fighter chose to surrender to Kurds: TV,” Reuters, March 18, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-american-idUSKCN0WK095. Khweis claimed that it was in Istanbul where he met an Iraqi woman who led him to the ISIS-controlled Iraqi city of Mosul, where she said her sister was married to an ISIS fighter. Analysts have suggested that this woman was an ISIS recruiter who lured men to the group with promises of marriage or sex.Anne Speckhard, “American ISIS Defector - Mohamad Jamal Khweis and the Threat Posed by ‘Clean Skin’ Terrorists: Unanswered Questions and Confirmations,” Huffington Post, March 21, 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-speckhard/american-isis-defector-mo_b_9511746.html. It is unclear whether the woman had been a prearranged contact or she had convinced Khweis to followher. Khweis admitted to U.S. authorities that he had previously researched how to smuggle himself across the Turkish-Syrian border. Khweis used social media in Turkey to communicate with other ISIS members, using the phrase “Green Bird” to identify supporters of jihad.United States of America v. Mohamad Jamal Khweis Criminal Complaint,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 11, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/865806/download.

Khweis reportedly traveled with the woman on a bus to the Turkish border. The woman’s sister arranged for a taxi to then take them into Syria. The two then separated and Khweis continued on to Mosul with a group of recruits. They turned over their passports and received new names.Tracy Connor, “Captured American Mohamad Khweis Talks About His Time With ISIS,” NBC News, March 18, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/bad-decision-captured-american-mohamed-khweis-talks-about-his-time-n541081. Khweis became “Abu Omar.”Anne Speckhard, “American ISIS Defector - Mohamad Jamal Khweis and the Threat Posed by ‘Clean Skin’ Terrorists: Unanswered Questions and Confirmations,” Huffington Post, March 21, 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-speckhard/american-isis-defector-mo_b_9511746.html. He and other recruits subsequently spent eight hours a day in religious indoctrination classes and prayer. Khweis told Kurdish interviewers that after a month, he decided to escape, realizing that ISIS are “not good Muslims.”Tracy Connor, “Captured American Mohamad Khweis Talks About His Time With ISIS,” NBC News, March 18, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/bad-decision-captured-american-mohamed-khweis-talks-about-his-time-n541081;
“American Islamic State fighter chose to surrender to Kurds: TV,” Reuters, March 18, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-american-idUSKCN0WK095.

According to Khweis, he then convinced a friend to take him close to the Turkish border. There, he sought out Kurdish fighters near the village of Golat in northern Iraq in the hope that they would turn him over to the Americans and he could go home. According to his own account, Khweis sought out the Kurds because of their good relations with America.“American Islamic State fighter chose to surrender to Kurds: TV,” Reuters, March 18, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-american-idUSKCN0WK095. Sarbaz Hama Amin, a Kurdish Peshmerga commander in Iraq, said that Khweis approached his unit in northern Iraq and “screamed” if anybody spoke English and that he wanted to go with them. The Peshmerga arrested Khweis and took him to their camp.Najab Balay and Sirwan Kajjo, “Parents of IS Fighter Thought He Was in Canada,” Voice of America, March 14, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/accused-american-islamic-state-member-held-by-kurdish-forces-in-iraq/3234840.html. In an interview with Kurdish TV news channel K24 a few days later, Khweis called the ISIS lifestyle “very difficult,” and said he regretted his “bad decision” to move to Mosul.“American Islamic State fighter chose to surrender to Kurds: TV,” Reuters, March 18, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-american-idUSKCN0WK095.

Khweis’s parents are Palestinian immigrants living in Alexandria, Virginia. Khweis’s father, Jamal, came to the United States in 1988.Najab Balay and Sirwan Kajjo, “Parents of IS Fighter Thought He Was in Canada,” Voice of America, March 14, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/accused-american-islamic-state-member-held-by-kurdish-forces-in-iraq/3234840.html. According to reports, Khweis’s parents and U.S. law enforcement were both unaware of Khweis’s path toward radicalization. Khweis had studied criminal justice in Virginia and only occasionally attended mosque.Anne Speckhard, “American ISIS Defector - Mohamad Jamal Khweis and the Threat Posed by ‘Clean Skin’ Terrorists: Unanswered Questions and Confirmations,” Huffington Post, March 21, 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-speckhard/american-isis-defector-mo_b_9511746.html. Khweis had previously been arrested for driving under the influence and public drunkenness, though the public drunkenness charge had been downgraded to trespassing and was dismissed on appeal.Shane Harris, “American ISIS Fighter Captured in Iraq,” Daily Beast, March 14, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/14/american-isis-fighter-captured-in-iraq.html;
Jon Williams, Kirit Radia, and Alexander Marquardt, “Alleged American ISIS Member: I Made a ‘Bad Decision,’” ABC News, March 17, 2016, http://abcnews.go.com/International/alleged-american-isis-member-made-bad-decision/story?id=37729313. On the day that their son surrendered to Peshmerga forces, the Khweises told Voice of America that they thought their son was in Canada, though Khweis’s mother claimed they knew he had been traveling in Turkey.Najab Balay and Sirwan Kajjo, “Parents of IS Fighter Thought He Was in Canada,” Voice of America, March 14, 2016, http://www.voanews.com/content/accused-american-islamic-state-member-held-by-kurdish-forces-in-iraq/3234840.html.

According to U.S. State Department Spokesman John Kirby, ISIS fighters are increasingly “becoming disenfranchised” and defecting in larger numbers.“American Islamic State fighter chose to surrender to Kurds: TV,” Reuters, March 18, 2016, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-american-idUSKCN0WK095. Syrian Kurdish fighters say they have seen a rise in defections from ISIS, coinciding with the group’s territorial losses. After his escape, Khweis said ISIS does not represent Islam and life under the terror group’s rule is “really, really bad.”Balint Szlanko, “American IS fighter: I made a bad decision,” Associated Press, March 18, 2016, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/33409c625b7f45d9bf846b45daa07e97/american-fighter-i-made-bad-decision. Khweis was returned to the United States in June 2016 to face trial.Matt Zapotosky, “American ISIS fighter who ‘found it hard’ returns to face criminal charges,” Washington Post, June 9, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/american-isis-fighter-who-found-it-hard-returns-to-face-criminal-charges/2016/06/08/b6990ea2-efa5-11e5-a61f-e9c95c06edca_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_khweis-615a-lede%3Ahomepage%2Fstory.

On June 7, 2017, a federal jury in Virginia convicted Khweis of providing material support to ISIS. Andrew W. Vale, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said that Khweis “purposefully traveled overseas with the intent to join ISIL in support of the terrorist group’s efforts to conduct operations and execute attacks to further their radical ideology.”“Jury Convicts Man of Providing Material Support to ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, June 7, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jury-convicts-man-providing-material-support-isis. On October 27, 2017, Khweis was sentenced to 20 years in prison.“American Sentenced to 20 Years for Joining ISIS,” U.S. Department of Justice, October 27, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/american-sentenced-20-years-joining-isis.

U.S.-born Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz is an alleged facilitator, propagandist, and would-be foreign fighter for ISIS. In December 2015, then-19-year-old Aziz was arrested on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS.Maria Stainer, “Pennsylvania man charged with providing material support to ISIS,” Washington Times, December 18, 2015, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/18/jalil-ibn-ameer-aziz-a-pennsylvania-man-charged-wi/. Aziz pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to provide material support and communicating a threat to injure,“Harrisburg terror suspect pleads guilty,” ABC27, January 30, 2017, http://abc27.com/2017/01/30/harrisburg-terror-suspect-pleads-guilty/. and was sentenced to 160 months in prison.“Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz Sentenced for Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and Transmitting a Communication Containing a Threat to Injure,” U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Public Affairs, December 20, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jalil-ibn-ameer-aziz-sentenced-conspiracy-provide-material-support-and-resources-designated.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Aziz utilized Twitter to disseminate ISIS’s propaganda and operated under at least 57 consecutive accounts.“United States of America v. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz,” United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, December 17, 2015, 6, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800566/download. Aziz allegedly facilitated the travel of ISIS recruits over Twitter, serving as a liaison between potential foreign fighters and facilitators in Turkey.“United States of America v. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz,” United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, December 17, 2015, 13, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800566/download. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Aziz “passed location information, including maps and a telephone number, between these [ISIS] supporters.”“Jalil Abn Ameer Aziz Who Was Charged With Providing Material Support To ISIL Faces New Charges For Solicitation To Commit A Crime Of Violence And Transmitting A Communication Containing A Threat To Injure,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 18, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/jalil-abn-ameer-aziz-who-was-charged-providing-material-support-isil-faces-new-charges. Aziz also allegedly tweeted a list of names and addresses of 100 U.S. military members and called for violence against them.“Pennsylvania Resident Charged with Providing Material Support to ISIL,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/pennsylvania-resident-charged-providing-material-support-isil. He regularly tweeted about his desire to “buy” a 17-year-old female Yazidi slave upon his arrival to the so-called caliphate.“United States of America v. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz,” United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, December 17, 2015, 11, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800566/download.

In June 2014, Aziz officially declared his allegiance to ISIS on Twitter,“United States of America v. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz,” United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, December 17, 2015, 7, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800566/download. and encouraged others to “perform their Islamic duty” and “support jihad with wealth.”“United States of America v. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz,” United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, December 17, 2015, 8, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800566/download. He offered advice on how to discreetly travel to Syria without raising suspicion. Aziz advocated for violence, and frequently encouraged the killing of non-Muslims by tweeting the hashtag #killallkuffar.Sam Wood, “Pa. teen charged with aiding ISIS,” Philly.com, December 17, 2015, http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Pa_teen_charged_with_aiding_ISIS.html.

On November 27, 2015, authorities issued a court order to search Aziz’s home where he lived with his parents.Mike Wereschagin, “FBI: Harrisburg man helped would-be jihadists for ISIS,” The Morning Call, December 18, 2015, http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-harrisburg-man-helped-3-would-be-jihadists-20151218-story.html. Upon examining his closet, authorities recovered an army-style tactical backpack, five high capacity magazines loaded with 5.6 ammunition, a kitchen knife wrapped in string with the handle removed, and a balaclava.“United States of America v. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz,” United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, December 17, 2015, 16, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/800566/download.

Authorities arrested Aziz on December 17, 2015, on charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS.“Pennsylvania Resident Charged with Providing Material Support to ISIL,” U.S. Department of Justice, December 17, 2015, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/pennsylvania-resident-charged-providing-material-support-isil;
Maria Stainer, “Pennsylvania man charged with providing material support to ISIS,” Washington Times, December 18, 2015, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/18/jalil-ibn-ameer-aziz-a-pennsylvania-man-charged-wi/. He pleaded not guilty on December 23.Associated Press, “Young Pennsylvania man charged with trying to help IS group deemed flight risk,” WTAE.com, December 24, 2015, http://www.wtae.com/news/harrisburg-man-charged-with-supporting-isis/37016430. In May 2016, Aziz faced a new charge for solicitation to commit a crime of violence and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure. The charge relates to accusations that Aziz tweeted the names of military personnel and encouraged violence against them. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in late May.“Jalil Abn Ameer Aziz Who Was Charged With Providing Material Support To ISIL Faces New Charges For Solicitation To Commit A Crime Of Violence And Transmitting A Communication Containing A Threat To Injure,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 18, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/jalil-abn-ameer-aziz-who-was-charged-providing-material-support-isil-faces-new-charges. On January 30, 2017, Aziz pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to provide material support and communication of a threat to injure.“Harrisburg terror suspect pleads guilty,” ABC27, January 30, 2017, http://abc27.com/2017/01/30/harrisburg-terror-suspect-pleads-guilty/.

On December 20, 2017, Aziz was sentenced to 160 months in federal prison and 12 years of post-release supervision. He was also ordered to pay $6,635.79 in restitution to the U.S. military personnel whose lives he threatened.“Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz Sentenced for Conspiracy to Provide Material Support and Resources to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and Transmitting a Communication Containing a Threat to Injure,” U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Public Affairs, December 20, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jalil-ibn-ameer-aziz-sentenced-conspiracy-provide-material-support-and-resources-designated.

Aziz is currently incarcerated at Marion United States Penitentiary in Illinois, with a scheduled release date of April 27, 2027.“JALIL IBN AMEE AZIZ,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed April 11, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.

Mounir Ben Dhaou Ben Brahim Ben Helal was a Tunisian member of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) who was sanction-designated by the United States,“Treasury Sanctions Major Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Leaders, Financial Figures, Facilitators, and Supporters,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 29, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0188.aspx. the United Nations,“Narrative Summaries of Reasons for Listing,” U.N. Security Council, February 29, 2016, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/mounir-ben-dhaou-ben-brahim-ben-helal. and the European Union“Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/307 of 3 March 2016,” EUR-Lex, March 3, 2016, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1462456080638&uri=CELEX:32016R0307. for facilitating the flow of foreign fighters to the terror group.

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Helal used “his experience in establishing and securing travel routes” to create networks in North Africa for AQIM, as well as to aid foreign fighters in traveling to Syria to join ISIS. The United States also accused Helal of supplying arms to AQIM.“Treasury Sanctions Major Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Leaders, Financial Figures, Facilitators, and Supporters,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 29, 2015, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0188.aspx.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) identified Helal as “Abu Mariam,” a senior ISIS leader killed in a November 2015 U.S. airstrike in Iraq. The strike targeted and killed a senior ISIS finance chief, known as “Abu Saleh.” According to AFP, Abu Mariam was “an enforcer and senior leader in the IS group’s extortion networks.” The news agency reported that Abu Mariam “appears on the State Department’s terrorist list as Mounir Ben Dhaou Ben Brahim Ben Helal, a 32-year-old Tunisian.”Agence France-Press, “IS finance chief killed in Iraq air strike: US,” Yahoo News, December 11, 2015, https://www.yahoo.com/news/finance-chief-confirmed-killed-air-strike-us-180340733.html?ref=gs. Despite Helal’s reported death, the United Nations listed him as an associate of al-Qaeda on February 29, 2016.“Narrative Summaries of Reasons for Listing,” U.N. Security Council, February 29, 2016, https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/mounir-ben-dhaou-ben-brahim-ben-helal. On the same day, the European Union added Helal to its list of Natural persons.“Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/307 of 3 March 2016,” EUR-Lex, March 3, 2016, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1462456080638&uri=CELEX:32016R0307.

Bahraini-born Turki al-Binali was ISIS’s chief religious advisor. He also worked to recruit foreign fighters for ISIS from the Gulf.“Treasury Sanctions Key ISIL Leaders and Facilitators Including a Senior Oil Official,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, February 11, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0351.aspx;
Kenzi Abou-Sabe and Robert Windrem, “ISIS Leader Who Approved Sex Slaves Killed by U.S. Airstrike,” NBC News, June 2, 2017, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-leader-who-approved-sex-slaves-killed-u-s-airstrike-n767581. Binali was designated as a terrorist by the United States,“Treasury Sanctions Key ISIL Leaders and Facilitators Including a Senior Oil Official,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, February 11, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0351.aspx. the European Union,“COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2016/647,” EUR-Lex, April 25, 2016, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0647. and the United Nations,“Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Adds Five Entries to Its Sanctions List,” United Nations, April 20, 2016, http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sc12332.doc.htm. and was stripped of his Bahraini citizenship in January 2015.“ISIS Leader Al-Binali: A terrorist who moves freely,” Bahrain News Agency, January 31, 2015, http://mirror.no-ip.org/news/20325.html. Although there was speculation that Binali might succeed ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani following reports of Adnani’s death in August 2016,Eric Schmitt, Rukmini Callimachi, and Anne Bernard, “Spokesman’s Death Will Have Islamic State Turning to Its ‘Deep Bench,’” New York Times, August 31, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/middleeast/syria-isis-adnani.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur&_r=1. he was reportedly passed over for the role and “confined to a mere role of religious authority” instead.Kenzi Abou-Sabe and Robert Windrem, “ISIS Leader Who Approved Sex Slaves Killed by U.S. Airstrike,” NBC News, June 2, 2017, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-leader-who-approved-sex-slaves-killed-u-s-airstrike-n767581. Binali was killed by a coalition airstrike in Mayadin, Syria, on May 31, 2017.“Coalition forces killed Turki-al-Bin’ali,” CENTCOM, June 20, 2017, http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1220221/coalition-forces-killed-turki-al-bin-ali/.

Binali reportedly studied at the Islamic and Arabic Studies College in Dubai.“Senior IS member's citizenship revoked,” Gulf Digital News, February 1, 2015, http://archives.gdnonline.com/NewsDetails.aspx?date=04/07/2015&storyid=395096;
“ISIS Are Among Us: From Puppets in The Hands Of The Government To Rebels Against It (2),” Bahrain Mirror, November 17, 2014, http://mirror.no-ip.org/news/20291.html. He was also believed to have studied under late al-Qaeda ideologue Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi.Eric Schmitt, Rukmini Callimachi, and Anne Bernard, “Spokesman’s Death Will Have Islamic State Turning to Its ‘Deep Bench,’” New York Times, August 31, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/middleeast/syria-isis-adnani.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur&_r=1. Between 2010 and 2014, Binali taught religion at various schools in Bahrain.“Senior IS member's citizenship revoked,” Gulf Digital News, February 1, 2015, http://archives.gdnonline.com/NewsDetails.aspx?date=04/07/2015&storyid=395096; “ISIS Are Among Us: From Puppets in The Hands Of The Government To Rebels Against It (2),” Bahrain Mirror, November 17, 2014, http://mirror.no-ip.org/news/20291.html. According to another report, however, Binali left Bahrain for Libya in 2013 in order to recruit for ISIS.Giorgio Cafiero, “Meet the likely successor of Islamic State’s Baghdadi,” Al Monitor, September 14, 2016, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/09/turki-binali-bahrain-islamic-state-successor-baghdadi.html#ixzz4KKYgDJW4. ISIS militants celebrated Binali’s arrival to Syria on social media on February 28, 2014. Within a few weeks, Binali was reported to have assumed responsibility for issuing ISIS’s fatwas.“Senior IS member's citizenship revoked,” Gulf Digital News, February 1, 2015, http://archives.gdnonline.com/NewsDetails.aspx?date=04/07/2015&storyid=395096;
“ISIS Are Among Us: From Puppets in The Hands Of The Government To Rebels Against It (2),” Bahrain Mirror, November 17, 2014, http://mirror.no-ip.org/news/20291.html. He was also reported to maintain an active social media presence in order to propagandize for ISIS.Giorgio Cafiero, “Meet the likely successor of Islamic State’s Baghdadi,” Al Monitor, September 14, 2016, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/09/turki-binali-bahrain-islamic-state-successor-baghdadi.html#ixzz4KKYgDJW4.

As ISIS’s chief religious advisor, Turki al-Binali was believed to direct the group’s Research and Fatwa Department, which has released pamphlets outlining the religious justifications for raping female Yazidi slaves.Eric Schmitt, Rukmini Callimachi, and Anne Bernard, “Spokesman’s Death Will Have Islamic State Turning to Its ‘Deep Bench,’” New York Times, August 31, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/middleeast/syria-isis-adnani.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur&_r=1. Binali also produced multiple recorded lectures attempting to justify ISIS’s actions.“Coalition forces killed Turki-al-Bin’ali,” CENTCOM, June 20, 2017, http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1220221/coalition-forces-killed-turki-al-bin-ali/. In April 2014, Binali published an essay arguing that an Islamic army does not need complete territorial control before declaring a caliphate. According to the New York Times, the essay was in large part responsible for ISIS’s decision to declare a caliphate in June. In July 2014, Binali appeared in a video instructing worshippers in a Syrian mosque to pledge allegiance to ISIS’s caliph (leader), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Binali authored numerous papers for the terror group, including:“ISIS Are Among Us: From Puppets in The Hands Of The Government To Rebels Against It (2),” Bahrain Mirror, November 17, 2014, http://mirror.no-ip.org/news/20291.html.

• “Raise your hands to pledge allegiance to Al-Baghdadi”
• “Obligations of joining the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”
• “The permissibility of declaring the caliphate before the achievement of full political capability”
• “Wording of Al-Adnani interpretation: The Islamic State catapult”
• “Demonstrating the arguments showing the difference between the men of the Islamic State and the Kharijites”
• “Brief statement on requesting the emirate rule”
• “The Benefits of refuting Abu Qatada”

As a senior member of ISIS, Binali recruited foreign fighters from the Gulf and provided literature and fatwas for presentation at ISIS training camps. He was believed to have written the “first call” for Muslims to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to the U.S. Treasury,“Treasury Sanctions Key ISIL Leaders and Facilitators Including a Senior Oil Official,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, February 11, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0351.aspx. and was also believed to have been a “close confidant” of Baghdadi himself.“Coalition forces killed Turki-al-Bin’ali,” CENTCOM, June 20, 2017, http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1220221/coalition-forces-killed-turki-al-bin-ali/. After chief ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani was killed in an airstrike in August 2016, there was speculation that Binali would be the successor for the role.Eric Schmitt, Rukmini Callimachi, and Anne Bernard, “Spokesman’s Death Will Have Islamic State Turning to Its ‘Deep Bench,’” New York Times, August 31, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/middleeast/syria-isis-adnani.html. However, noting that he had not been featured in official ISIS propaganda in two years, other reports speculated that he had instead been marginalized and given a diminished role.Kenzi Abou-Sabe and Robert Windrem, “ISIS Leader Who Approved Sex Slaves Killed by U.S. Airstrike,” NBC News, June 2, 2017, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-leader-who-approved-sex-slaves-killed-u-s-airstrike-n767581.

On June 20, 2017, the U.S. Central Command confirmed that Binali was killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike on May 31, 2017, in Mayadin, a city in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Governorate.“Coalition forces killed Turki-al-Bin’ali,” CENTCOM, June 20, 2017, http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1220221/coalition-forces-killed-turki-al-bin-ali/. Previously, his death had been reported by ISIS supporters on social media, but had not been confirmed by official sources.Tim Lister, Hamdi Alkhshali, and Paul Cruickshank, “Top ISIS figure killed in Syria,” CNN, June 1, 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/middleeast/top-isis-figure-killed-in-syria/index.html;
Kenzi Abou-Sabe and Robert Windrem, “ISIS Leader Who Approved Sex Slaves Killed by U.S. Airstrike,” NBC News, June 2, 2017, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-leader-who-approved-sex-slaves-killed-u-s-airstrike-n767581.

Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab is a Palestinian-Iraqi who came to the United States as a refugee from Syria in October 2012.“United States of America v. Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, January 6, 2016, 2, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/811696/download. He spent time in Arizona and Wisconsin before settling in Sacramento, California.Maneeza Iqbal, “Man accused of terrorism arrested in Sacramento,” KCRA ABC, January 7, 2016, http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/suspect-arrested-in-sacramento-in-regards-to-national-security/37321358. Travel dates—as well as bank and electronic communication records—indicate that Al-Jayab traveled twice between Syria and the United States from 2012 to 2014. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, while in Syria, Al-Jayab fought for al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate al-Nusra Front. Al-Jayab may also have fought alongside Ansar al-Islam, a group that pledged allegiance to ISIS in August 2014. “United States of America v. Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, January 6, 2016, 16, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/811696/download; Abdallah Suleiman Ali, “IS disciplines some emirs to avoid losing base,” Al-Monitor, September 2, 2014, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/09/is-takfiri-caliphate.html#.

Al-Jayab reportedly lied about his involvement in terrorism in an October 2014 interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration officers asked Al-Jayab a variety of questions, including if he had been a member of a rebel group, if he had ever killed another person, and if he had ever solicited membership from a terrorist organization. Al-Jayab answered “no” to each question.“United States of America v. Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, January 6, 2016, 3, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/811696/download.

The then-23-year-old was arrested on January 7, 2016, in Sacramento, California, on charges of making a false statement involving international terrorism.Shawn Brouwer, “Sacramento man indicted on terrorism-related charge,” KCRA ABC, January 14, 2016, http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/sacramento-man-indicted-on-terrorismrelated-charge/37444394.

Almost immediately after he arrived in the United States in October 2012, Al-Jayab began discussing his desire to return to Syria to “work” with family and associates. On October 13, 2012, he began conversing with two unnamed individuals—one in Iraq and the other in Syria—about his plans to return to Syria and join al-Nusra Front.“United States of America v. Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, January 6, 2016, 6, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/811696/download.

Over the next few months, Al-Jayab received money via Western Union from a variety of unnamed individuals in Syria. Al-Jayab told these individuals that he needed the money to travel to Syria and was interested in joining al-Nusra Front. He asked questions about weapons, inquired about the type of training he would receive, and asked God to grant him martyrdom.“United States of America v. Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, January 6, 2016, 9, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/811696/download.

In 2013, Al-Jayab communicated over social media with fellow U.S.-based Iraqi refugee Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan.“FBI: Refugees used social media to plan fight in Syria,” KCRA 3, January 8, 2016, http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/family-suspect-in-terror-case-went-to-american-river-college/37335406. Al-Jayab spoke to Al Hardan about weapons training, and the two discussed travel to Syria.Catherine E. Shoichet and Joshua Berlinger, “Feds arrest 2 Middle East refugees on terror-link charges,” January 8, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/08/us/terror-charges-refugees/. Al-Jayab bragged about his experience fighting in Syria and promised to teach Al Hardan how to enter Syria and fight with weaponry.“FBI: Refugees used social media to plan fight in Syria,” KCRA, January 8, 2016, http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/family-suspect-in-terror-case-went-to-american-river-college/37335406. Al Hardan was arrested on January 8, 2016.Manny Fernandez, “Refugee Tried to Assist Islamic State, U.S. Says,” New York Times, January 8, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/09/us/refugee-appears-in-houston-court-on-terror-related-charges.html.

On January 8, 2016, a judge ordered Al-Jayab be held without bail, citing he was a flight risk and danger to the community.Sam Stanton, Stephen Magagnini, and Denny Walsh, “Sacramento junior college student ordered held without bail in terror case,” Sacramento Bee, January 8, 2016, http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article53731420.html. In early March, the FBI requested and was granted access to Al-Jayab’s two cellphones, an iPhone 6S and a Samsung Galaxy S5. FBI agents were reportedly able to bypass the Samsung Galaxy’s security and gain access to multiple Facebook accounts operated by Al-Jayab.“Application for a Search Warrant,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, March 1, 2016, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2778672-Al-Jayab-Warrant-for-iPhone-and-Samsung.html; Thomas Fox-Brewster, “FBI Wants Access To Another ISIS-Linked iPhone -- Will It Demand Apple Aid?,” Forbes, March 29, 2016, http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2016/03/29/fbi-apple-iphone-6s-warrant-al-jayab/#60e8bf635df6.

As of March 29, 2016, the status of the iPhone’s data is unknown. Analysts posited the FBI might request Apple to aid in unlocking the iPhone, just as they demanded in the case of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook.“Application for a Search Warrant,” United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, March 1, 2016, https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2778672-Al-Jayab-Warrant-for-iPhone-and-Samsung.html; Thomas Fox-Brewster, “FBI Wants Access To Another ISIS-Linked iPhone -- Will It Demand Apple Aid?,” Forbes, March 29, 2016, http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2016/03/29/fbi-apple-iphone-6s-warrant-al-jayab/#60e8bf635df6.

On March 17, 2016, Al-Jayab was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois for attempting to provide material support to acts of violence overseas. If found guilty, Al-Jayab may face up to 15 years in prison.“California Man Indicted in Chicago for Attempting to Provide Material Support to Overseas Terrorists,” United States Department of Justice, March 17, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-indicted-chicago-attempting-provide-material-support-overseas-terrorists. On October 31, 2018, he pleaded guilty to providing material support to the jihadist group Ansar al-Islam and making a false statement to federal agents investigating an international terrorism case. Although the two charges combined carry a maximum of 23 years in prison, Al-Jayab’s plea bargain stipulates a maximum sentence of 15 years.Bennett Clifford and Seamus Hughes, “United States v. Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab: A Case Study on Transnational Prosecutions of Jihadi Foreign Fighter Networks,” CTC Sentinel 11, no. 11, December 2018, https://ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/CTC-SENTINEL-122018.pdf, 26, 29.

Osama Krayem, a 23-year-old Swedish citizen, is a suspect linked to the March 22, 2016, ISIS attacks in Brussels which killed 32 people and wounded more than 200.Greg Botelho, Paul Cruickshank, and Kevin Conlon, “‘Man in the hat’: Brussels airport suspect in custody,” CNN, April 9, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/09/europe/brussels-attack-arrests-police/;
William Watkinson, “Brussels attack: Who is Osama Krayem the jihadi from Malmo arrested with ‘Man in the Hat’?” International Business Times, April 10, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brussels-attack-who-osama-krayem-jihadi-malmo-arrested-man-hat-1554105.

Krayem was arrested on April 8, 2016, alongside fellow suspect Mohamed Abrini and two others, known to the public as “Herve BN” and “Bilal EM.”“Brussels group ‘initially planned to hit France,’” BBC News, April 10, 2016, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36009196. Krayem was reportedly seen moments before the March 22 attack in Brussels traveling alongside Khalid El Bakraoui, the suicide bomber identified as having been responsible for targeting Maelbeek station, killing at least 20 people and wounding 130.Matthew Weaver, Haroon Siddique, Raya Jalabi, and Claire Phipps, “Brussels: Islamic State launches attacks on airport and station – as it happened,” Guardian (London), March 23, 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/mar/22/brussels-airport-explosions-live-updates. Krayem was reported to have played what European security officials have called an “operational role” in the Brussels attacks,Greg Botelho, Paul Cruickshank, and Kevin Conlon, “‘Man in the hat’: Brussels airport suspect in custody,” CNN, April 9, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/09/europe/brussels-attack-arrests-police/. and has been charged alongside Abrini with “participation to the activities of a terrorist group and terrorist murders.”Greg Botelho, Paul Cruickshank, and Kevin Conlon, “‘Man in the hat’: Brussels airport suspect in custody,” CNN, April 9, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/09/europe/brussels-attack-arrests-police/. He has been caught on camera buying bags at a Brussels shopping mall that were later used by the suspected suicide bombers at Brussels’s Zaventem airport: Khalid el-Bakraoui’s brother Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, and Najim Laachraoui.

According to reports, Krayem is a naturalized citizen of Sweden, with parents who come from Syria.William Watkinson, “Brussels attack: Who is Osama Krayem the jihadi from Malmo arrested with ‘Man in the Hat’?” International Business Times, April 10, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brussels-attack-who-osama-krayem-jihadi-malmo-arrested-man-hat-1554105. Krayem was reportedly “brainwashed” in Rosengard, a neighborhood in the southwestern Swedish city of Malmo. Rosengard is a major destination point for migrants and immigrants in Sweden, and has been singled out for its high levels of crime and unemployment.William Watkinson, “Brussels attack: Who is Osama Krayem the jihadi from Malmo arrested with ‘Man in the Hat’?” International Business Times, April 10, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brussels-attack-who-osama-krayem-jihadi-malmo-arrested-man-hat-1554105. Analysts have likened the Swedish neighborhood to the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek, which has produced or hosted a large number of violent extremists, including November 2015 Paris attacks suspects Salah Abdeslam, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, and Ibrahim Abdeslam; August 2015 train assailant Ayoub El Khazzani; and May 2014 Brussels Jewish Museum shooter Mehdi Nemmouche.Liam Stack, “How Belgium Became Home to Recent Terror Plots,” New York Times, November 15, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/15/world/europe/belgium-terrorism-suspects.html;
Tim Hume, “Brussels raids: Police hit Molenbeek, area at heart of Belgium’s jihadist threat,” CNN, November 16, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/15/europe/paris-attacks-belgium-molenbeek/.

Before taking up violent extremism, Krayem reportedly was a drug abuser and petty criminal.William Watkinson, “Brussels attack: Who is Osama Krayem the jihadi from Malmo arrested with ‘Man in the Hat’?” International Business Times, April 10, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brussels-attack-who-osama-krayem-jihadi-malmo-arrested-man-hat-1554105. He was reportedly heavily influenced by lectures from deceased American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.Agence France-Presse, “Osama Krayem, a Swedish radical linked to Brussels attacks,” Daily Mail (London), April 9, 2016, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3531796/Osama-Krayem-Swedish-radical-linked-Brussels-attacks.html. According to friends and family, Krayem was reportedly drawn to religion and later extremism at some point in 2015. He quickly became radicalized and even reportedly attempted to recruit members of his mosque to his newly adopted, radicalized ideology. Krayem is reported to have left Sweden for Syria at some point later that year, traveling to ISIS-controlled Deir Ezzor. On September 20, 2015, Krayem returned to Europe via Greece on a falsified passport under the name “Naim al-Hamed.”William Watkinson, “Brussels attack: Who is Osama Krayem the jihadi from Malmo arrested with ‘Man in the Hat’?” International Business Times, April 10, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brussels-attack-who-osama-krayem-jihadi-malmo-arrested-man-hat-1554105. One month later, in October 2015, he was seen traveling in a car alongside soon-to-be Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam.William Watkinson, “Brussels attack: Who is Osama Krayem the jihadi from Malmo arrested with ‘Man in the Hat’?” International Business Times, April 10, 2016, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/brussels-attack-who-osama-krayem-jihadi-malmo-arrested-man-hat-1554105.