Peter Cherif is a U.S.-designated French foreign fighter with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Cherif has been imprisoned in Iraq, Syria, and France on terrorism charges, including at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2005.Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm. On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of State designated Cherif as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for his role in terror attacks intended to threaten the safety of the United States and its citizens. Cherif was arrested in Djibouti in December 2018 and extradited to France, where he was charged with criminal association with a terrorist enterprise.Rory Mulholland, “Islamist suspected of helping organise 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack handed terror charges,” Telegraph (London), December 24, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/24/islamist-suspected-helping-organise-2015-charlie-hebdo-attack/. On October 3, 2024, a Paris Special Criminal Court sentenced Cherif to life imprisonment. “French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence,” Le Monde (Paris), October 3, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/03/french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attacks-receives-life-sentence_6728120_105.html.
Cherif was born to a Tunisian mother and a Catholic Afro-Caribbean father who died when Cherif was a teenager. He grew up in France and was known as a class clown in school.Tracy McNicoll and Christopher Dickey, “Paris Jihadis Were ‘All Molotov Cocktails,’” Daily Beast, January 10, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/10/paris-jihadis-were-all-molotov-cocktails.html; Sebastian Rotella, “A Couple Divided By Faith,” Los Angeles Times, August 8, 2006, http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/08/world/fg-juliet8. As a teenager, Cherif ran into legal trouble relating to drugs and armed robbery.http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html.He went on to join the army until he was injured in 2002.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html. He converted to Islam in 2003“Five years jail for Frenchman arrested in Iraq,” Radio France Internationale, March 10, 2011, http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20110310-french-man-arrested-iraq-sentenced-5-years-prison. and reportedly radicalized under the influence of Farid Benyettou, a 22-year-old radical imam in Buttes- Chaumont, France. Three other disciples of Benyettou went on to become suicide bombers in Iraq.Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm. Cherif became more religious while attending Benyettou’s makeshift mosque. He stopped listening to music and watching movies, activities prohibited by strict Islamic law. He began wearing traditional Islamic clothing and ended his intimate relationship with his girlfriend.Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm.
Early into his radicalization, Cherif began carrying out a series of antisemitic attacks. In 2003, Cherif and several Benyettou disciples vandalized Jewish restaurants with rocks and Molotov cocktails. They also assaulted a Jewish man on the street, breaking his nose.Sebastian Rotella, “Europe’s Revolving-Door Prisons Compound Growing Terror Threat,” Pro Publica, June 23, 2015, https://www.propublica.org/article/europes-revolving-door-prisons-compound-growing-terror-threat.
Sometime during or after 2003, Cherif joined a cell of jihadists in northeastern Paris. The “Buttes-Chaumont” cell was named after a park in Paris where cell members trained. The cell produced notorious jihadists including Chérif Kouachi, one of the perpetrators of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre, and Boubaker El Hakim, a jihadist recruiter who facilitated the travel of Frengh fighters to Iraq.Benjamin Dodman, “Paris trial grills ‘repentant’ jihadist who mentored Charlie Hebdo killers,” France 24, October 5, 2020, https://www.france24.com/en/20201005-paris-trial-grills-repentant-jihadist-who-mentored-charlie-hebdo-killers. Cherif reportedly introduced Kouachi to Benyettou, according to French judicial records.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html. French investigators disbanded the Buttes-Chaumont cell in 2005 after discovering the cell’s signature pipeline of sending French Muslims and immigrants to fight against American interests in Iraq.Jim Yardley, “Jihadism Born in a Paris Park and Fueled in the Prison Yard,” New York Times, January 11, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/world/europe/jihadism-born-in-a-paris-park-and-fueled-in-the-prison-yard.html. In May 2004, Cherif told his family he was going to spend a few months studying in Syria. By that November, he had crossed into Iraq to fight with ISIS forerunner al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm.
By December 2004, American forces had captured Cherif in Fallujah and subsequently transferred to Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.Kim Willsher, “Charlie Hebdo suspect arrested in Djibouti,” Guardian (London), December 21, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/charlie-hebdo-suspect-arrested-in-djibouti; Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm. In 2006, an Iraqi court sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment for illegally crossing the border into Iraq.“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. Cherif escaped in March 2007 during an insurgent attack on the prison.“Peter Cherif,” United Nations, accessed November 13, 2024, https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/peter-cherif. He traveled to Syria, where he surrendered to French authorities in early 2008 due to fears that he would be captured by Syrian forces.Kim Willsher, “Charlie Hebdo suspect arrested in Djibouti,” Guardian (London), December 21, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/charlie-hebdo-suspect-arrested-in-djibouti. Cherif claimed he had given up on terrorism.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html.
French authorities shortly afterward extradited Cherif and he spent 18 months in a French prison before he was released on bail pending trial. In 2011, Cherif escaped to Yemen where he began fighting for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The French court sentenced him in absentia to five years in prison for belonging to a terrorist organization.“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; “French extremist admits role in kidnapping of aid workers in Yemen,” Agence France Presse, September 24, 2024, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572642/middle-east. While in Yemen in the summer of 2011, Cherif reportedly met with fellow Benyettou devotees Salim Benghalem and Chérif Kouachi. During the meeting, the trio reportedly discussed attacks on U.S. targets in France, as well as on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. According to U.S. and French intelligence, Cherif provided Kouachi with cash and al-Qaeda training.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html.
In 2015, the U.S. government alleged that Cherif was in Yemen, but a French newspaper reported he was in Syria.Elsa Buchanan, “Isis: Who is on the US most-wanted jihadists list?,” International Business Times, October 1, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-who-are-us-most-wanted-jihadists-list-1522031. The Wall Street Journal reported Cherif made his living trafficking counterfeit goods.David Gauthier-Villars, “France Identifies Security Gaps, but Fixing Them Proves Challenging,” Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/france-identifies-security-gaps-but-fixing-them-proves-challenging-1426881960. On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of State designated Cherif as a SDGT for his role in terror activities intended to undermine U.S. security.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm. Authorities in Djibouti arrested Cherif on December 21, 2018. He was subsequently extradited to France and taken into custody by local authorities on December 23, 2018.Rory Mulholland, “Islamist suspected of helping organise 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack handed terror charges,” Telegraph (London), December 24, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/24/islamist-suspected-helping-organise-2015-charlie-hebdo-attack/. While in detention in October 2020, Cherif served as a witness during the trial over the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, which killed 12. According to Cherif, he had “nothing to do” with the massacre.“French extremist admits role in kidnapping of aid workers in Yemen,” Agence France Presse, September 24, 2024, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572642/middle-east; Yannick Haenel and Francois Boucq, “God Exists: He’s Running a Garage in Belgium,” Charlie Hebdo (Paris), October 28, 2020, https://charliehebdo.fr/2020/10/english/god-exists-hes-running-a-garage-in-belgium/.
On September 16, 2024, Cherif appeared at the Paris Special Criminal Court for terrorism-related offenses between 2011 and 2018.“French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attackers stands trial for terrorism-related offences,” France 24, September 19, 2024, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240916-french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attackers-goes-on-trial. During the trial, investigators further probed into Cherif’s association with the Kouachi brothers. Cherif was reportedly a childhood friend of the duo and had maintained regular communication with the pair until the January 2015 Paris attack. Although Cherif did not face charges for the attack, Cherif reportedly trained Cherif Kouachi while both were fighting for AQAP in Yemen sometime between 2011 and 2015.“French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence,” Le Monde (Paris), October 3, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/03/french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attacks-receives-life-sentence_6728120_105.html. According to media sources, the Kouachi brothers received significant weapons training from AQAP, including lessons in bombmaking.Michael Martinez, Jethro Mullen and Josh Levs, “Who are suspects in two violent French standoffs?,” CNN, January 10, 2015, https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/08/europe/paris-charlie-hebdo-shooting-suspects/index.html.
During the trial, Cherif also admitted to his role in the May 2011 abduction of three French aid workers in Seiyun, Yemen. Cherif had served as the translator for AQAP officers who were unable to communicate with the French- and English-speaking hostages. After spending several months in desert caves, the aid workers were released in November 2011.“French extremist admits role in kidnapping of aid workers in Yemen,” Agence France Presse, September 24, 2024, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572642/middle-east; “Abducted French aid workers in al Qaeda hands,” France 24, July 24, 2011, https://www.france24.com/en/20110727-abducted-french-aid-workers-held-yemeni-al-qaeda-militants.
On October 3, 2024, Cherif was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years to be served.“French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence,” Le Monde (Paris), October 3, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/03/french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attacks-receives-life-sentence_6728120_105.html.
The U.S. Department of State designated Peter Cherif as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on September 29, 2015.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm.
Foreign fighter, France: A foreign fighter suspected to have played a central role in the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Cherif began fighting with al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2004, and was arrested in December of that year by U.S. forces stationed near Fallujah. He was transferred to Abu Ghraib in August 2005, and sentenced to 15 years in prison by an Iraqi court in July 2006. Cherif escaped from prison in March 2007 during an insurgent attack and traveled to Syria, where he surrendered to French authorities in early 2008, claiming to have given up on terrorism. French authorities extradited Cherif to France, where he spent 18 months in prison before being released on bail pending trial. Toward the end of his trial, Cherif escaped to Yemen and the French court sentenced him in absentia to five years in prison for belonging to a terrorist organization. U.S. and French officials suspect that Cherif remains active with AQAP and that he played a central role in the January 2015 attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Converted in 2003 and reportedly became radicalized under the influence of Farid Benyettou, a self-declared imam in Buttes Chaumont, France, who was arrested in 2005 for trying to go to Iraq. Cherif grew up in France to a Tunisian mother and Catholic Afro-Caribbean immigrant father who died when Cherif was 14 years old. Cherif ran into legal trouble for drugs and armed robbery as a teenager. He went on to join the army but was injured while parachute jumping in 2002. Cherif was responsible for introducing Charlie Hebdo attacker Chérif Kouachi to Benyettou, according to French judicial records. (Estimated age at conversion: 20-22)
Sudanese citizen Ibrahim al-Qosi is a member of al-Qaeda and has been a loyal associate of the terrorist group’s founder, Osama bin Laden. He served primarily as a courier, accountant, and treasurer for al-Qaeda until Pakistani forces arrested him in 2001. Qosi was subsequently transferred to U.S. custody and detained at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center from 2002 to 2012.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed August 22, 2018, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/54-ibrahim-ahmed-mahmoud-al-qosi. In July 2010, Qosi pled guilty to charges of conspiracy and material support for terrorism. He was sentenced to 14 years, but was released after two and repatriated to Sudan in 2012.Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/12/ex-guantanamo-detainee-now-an-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen.php. Qosi has since returned to terrorism and has been featured in several propaganda videos for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), most recently in January 2018.“New video message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: ‘Secrets and Dangers and the Departure of the Best of Us’,” Jihadology, January 17, 2018, https://jihadology.net/2018/01/17/new-video-message-from-al-qaidah-in-the-arabian-peninsula-secrets-and-dangers-and-the-departure-of-the-best-of-us/; Thomas Joscelyn, “Former Guantanamo detainee warns against spilling secrets,” Long War Journal, January 19, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/01/former-guantanamo-detainee-warns-against-spilling-secrets-in-aqap-video.php.
After being recruited by al-Qaeda in 1990, Qosi received military training and fought in Afghanistan. In 1992, he relocated to Sudan to serve as an accountant and treasurer for Osama bin Laden. Qosi was later chosen to be part of bin Laden’s security detail where he was also responsible for gathering supplies and cooking.Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/12/ex-guantanamo-detainee-now-an-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen.php. “The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed August 22, 2018, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/54-ibrahim-ahmed-mahmoud-al-qosi; Associated Press, “Bin Laden’s cook freed from Guantanamo Bay after 10 years,” CBS News, July 11, 2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bin-ladens-cook-freed-from-guantanamo-bay-after-10-years/. After returning to Afghanistan, Qosi fought against the Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban coalition of militias, near Kabul and Kandahar between 1998 and 2001.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed August 22, 2018, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/54-ibrahim-ahmed-mahmoud-al-qosi.
In December 2001, he was captured by the Pakistani military while fleeing the battle of Tora Bora, Afghanistan, alongside other members of bin Laden’s security group.Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/12/ex-guantanamo-detainee-now-an-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen.php. Qosi was subsequently transferred into U.S. custody, where he was held in a detention facility in Kandahar, and was moved to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center in January 2002.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed August 22, 2018, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/54-ibrahim-ahmed-mahmoud-al-qosi. During interrogations, Qosi was open about being an al-Qaeda member and provided valuable intelligence on high-level operatives.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed August 22, 2018, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/54-ibrahim-ahmed-mahmoud-al-qosi.
On November 15, 2007, U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) assessed Qosi as “a high risk, as he is likely to pose a threat to the US, its interests, and allies.” JTF-GTMO recommended his continued detention out of concern that he would rejoin al-Qaeda if released. Qosi was considered of high intelligence value due to his key insights on bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda operatives like Ayman al-Zawahiri, the current al-Qaeda leader since bin Laden’s death in 2011.“The Guantanamo Docket: Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi: JTF-GTMO Assessment,” New York Times, accessed August 22, 2018, http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/54-ibrahim-ahmed-mahmoud-al-qosi. Nonetheless, Qosi was repatriated to Sudan in July 2012 after he agreed to a plea deal that suspended 12 years of his sentence in exchange for his cooperation with U.S. prosecutors.Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/12/ex-guantanamo-detainee-now-an-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen.php. It was reported that Qosi would enroll in a reintegration program in Sudan, though it is unclear if this transpired. Upon release, Qosi’s attorney said, “One of the main reasons the United States was willing to return [Qosi] to Sudan was the U.S. confidence in the government of Sudan’s program and its confidence that Mr. al-Qosi would not represent any kind of threat to the United States.” He added, “If [the U.S.] had considered him a threat, they would not have released him.”Associated Press, “Bin Laden’s cook freed from Guantanamo Bay after 10 years,” CBS News, July 11, 2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bin-ladens-cook-freed-from-guantanamo-bay-after-10-years/.
Qosi instead returned to terrorism and became an AQAP leader. A Defense Intelligence Agency assessment from March 2017 concluded that Qosi has “likely reengaged in terrorist associated activities since at least late-2015” by serving as a spokesman for AQAP and encouraging to wage jihad.“United States’ Response to the U.S.C.M.C.R’s 11 March 2017 Order,” CMCR, March 23, 2017, https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Al-Qosi-Response-to-the-Courts-March-11-2017-Order.pdf. AQAP released a video in December 2015 entitled “Guardians of Sharia,” in which Qosi discussed jihad with fellow commanders and encouraged lone wolf attacks against the U.S. and other western nations.Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee now an al Qaeda leader in Yemen,” Long War Journal, December 9, 2015, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/12/ex-guantanamo-detainee-now-an-al-qaeda-leader-in-yemen.php.
On February 6, 2016, AQAP posted a 50-minute lecture online starring Qosi, titled “A Message to Our People in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques.” Qosi chronicled al-Qaeda’s fight against Saudi Arabia, and praised young “mujahideen” fighters for waging jihad in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (in the 1990s). Finally, he ended the lecture by urging Muslims to fight in Yemen against the “Crusader-rejectionist [Shiite] campaign.”Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee prominently featured in al Qaeda propaganda,” Long War Journal, February 15, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/02/ex-guantanamo-detainee-prominently-featured-al-qaeda-propaganda.php.
In May 2016, AQAP published its 15th edition of the Inspire magazine in which Qosi writes about his life with Osama bin Laden and mocks the United States for its victorious sentiment after bin Laden’s death in 2011, “[…] Obama we are all Usama. We are a nation, which does not know how to surrender. A nation that never dies with the death of its men or leaders.” Qosi also explains the “betrayal” of Jamal al-Fadhl, who provided the U.S. government with valuable insider information in 1996. Qosi then goes on to elaborate on the military, economic, political and psychological consequences of the 9/11 attack on the United States.AQAP, “Professional assassinations”, Inspire, May 2016, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/inspire-magazine-15.pdf; Thomas Joscelyn, “Ex-Guantanamo detainee discusses his life with Osama bin Laden,” Long War Journal, May 17, 2016, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/05/ex-guantanamo-detainee-discusses-his-life-with-osama-bin-laden.php. A few months later, AQAP published a special edition of Inspire, titled “The 9/17 Operations.” Qosi narrates the day of the 9/11 attack. He describes his and bin Laden’s joy over the collapse of the World Trade Center and their excitement while listening to the “good news” on American radio.AQAP, “The 9/17 Operations,” Inspire, Fall 2016, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/inspire-magazine-16.pdf.
AQAP released their 17th edition of the Inspire magazine in July 2017 in which Qosi praises and encourages lone wolf attacks, describing them as “new creative and destructive Lone Jihad operations, executed by men from [the United States] homeland. Men whose boots have not touched the lands of Jihad in Afghanistan or Sham and whose names have never been in the FBI or CIA black lists.”AQAP, “Train Derail Operations,” Inspire, July 2017, https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/inspire-magazine-17.pdf; Thomas Joscelyn, “AQAP publishes guide for derailing trains in the US, Europe,” Long War Journal, August 13, 2017, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/08/aqap-publishes-guide-for-derailing-trains-in-the-us-europe.php.
In January 2018, Qosi appeared in a 36-minute video, titled “Secrets, its Dangers and the Departure of the Best of Us,” where he lectures on the importance of exercising caution and maintaining operational security. The propaganda video also features current AQAP leader Qasim al Raymi addressing the problem of leaked information through “spies” and cellphones that has allowed the United States to track AQAP targets and kill them in drone strikes.“New video message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: ‘Secrets and Dangers and the Departure of the Best of Us’,” Jihadology, January 17, 2018, https://jihadology.net/2018/01/17/new-video-message-from-al-qaidah-in-the-arabian-peninsula-secrets-and-dangers-and-the-departure-of-the-best-of-us/; Thomas Joscelyn, “Former Guantanamo detainee warns against spilling secrets,” Long War Journal, January 19, 2018, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/01/former-guantanamo-detainee-warns-against-spilling-secrets-in-aqap-video.php.
On November 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice Program offered up to $4 million on information leading to the capture of Qosi.“U.S. State Department announces reward up to $10 million for two senior AQAP leaders,” Reuters, November 7, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-reward/u-s-state-department-announces-reward-up-to-10-million-for-two-senior-aqap-leaders-idUSKBN1XH2DY; “Wanted: Information that brings to justice,” Rewards for Justice, November 7, 2019, https://static.rewardsforjustice.net/uploads/AQAPQosiAtifPosterENG8_5x11.pdf. Following the death of AQAP leader Qasim al-Raymi in a U.S. drone strike in early 2020 in Yemen’s Marib Province, Qosi was considered a possible successor for the jihadist franchise as he has been a longtime official of the leadership team that advises AQAP’s emir.Thomas Joscelyn, “White House confirms death of AQAP leader,” Long War Journal, February 6, 2020, https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2020/02/white-house-confirms-death-of-aqap-leader.php. Although Raymi’s deputy, Khalid Batarfi, took over as the new leader, he later turned himself into Yemeni forces on October 2, 2020.“Al-Qaida Confirms Death of AQAP Leader,” Voice of America, February 23, 2020, https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/al-qaida-confirms-death-aqap-leader; “Pro-ISIS Telegram Channel Alleges Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Leader Khalid Batarfi Turned Himself In To Yemeni Forces In Al-Mahrah During Raid That Killed Two Key Al-Qaeda Commanders,” The Middle East Media Research Institute, October 7, 2020, https://www.memri.org/jttm/pro-isis-telegram-channel-alleges-al-qaeda-arabian-peninsula-aqap-leader-khalid-batarfi-turned. It is unreported if Qosi has assumed the role of AQAP emir.
On October 27, 2020, a federal appeals court refused to review Qosi’s 2010 war crimes conviction. His lawyers argued that Qosi’s conviction should be thrown out because the charge for which he was convicted, providing material support for terrorism, is not a war crime that could be tried by military commission. As such, they argued that the military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay had no jurisdiction to convict Qosi. The three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to hear the appeal because there was no evidence that Qosi had “authorized counsel to pursue these petitions” and did not have contact “with any attorney in this case for eight years.”Carol Rosenberg, “Court Rejects Appeal of Guantánamo Convict Who Rejoined Al Qaeda,” New York Times, October 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/us/politics/guantanamo-detainee-appeal.html.
Abdirizak Warsame (a.k.a. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame) is an American citizen who is believed to have led a group of 10 Somali-American men from Minnesota who conspired to join ISIS in Syria.Mike Levine, “Feds Arrest ‘Emir’ of ISIS-Related Recruitment Effort in Minnesota,” ABC 7 (Los Angeles), December 10, 2015, http://abc7.com/news/feds-arrest-emir-of-isis-related-recruitment-effort-in-minnesota/1117161/. Warsame was arrested on December 9, 2015.“Minnesota man accused of conspiring to help Islamic State,” NY Daily News, December 10, 2015, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/minnesota-man-accused-conspiring-islamic-state-article-1.2460965. He pled guilty to terrorism charges on February 11, 2016, telling the judge that he was radicalized by watching videos of al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki.Mukhtar Ibrahim, ‘Terror suspect: Videos, not Minn. mosques, inspired me to seek out ISIS,” MPR News, February 11, 2016, http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/02/11/isis-suspect-radicalized-by-videos-not-mosques. After cooperating with authorities, Warsame was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison on November 14, 2016.Associated Press, “Cooperation Results in Light Sentences in Islamic State Case,” New York Times, November 14, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/11/14/us/ap-us-islamic-state-americans-minnesota.html?_r=1. In April 2018, he was released from federal prison and sent into the custody of a residential re-entry center.Stephen Montemayor, “Minneapolis man sentenced in ISIS case gets extra time at halfway house for gambling on soccer matches,” Star Tribune, August 8, 2018, http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-man-sentenced-in-isis-case-gets-extra-time-at-halfway-house-for-gambling-on-soccer-matches/490268781/. He was then released to his family in the summer of 2019 and is under probation.Hannah Allam, “‘They Wish Me Dead.’ Convict In ISIS Case Faces Backlash For Helping Feds,” NPR, November 20, 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781111733/they-wish-me-dead-convict-in-isis-case-faces-backlash-for-helping-feds.
Apart from Warsame, the group of alleged co-conspirators includes Abdullahi Yusuf, Guled Ali Omar, Adnan Abdihamid Farah, Zacharia Abdurahman, Abdiwali Nur, Mohamed Abdihamid Farah, Abdirahman Yasin Daud, Hamza Ahmed, and Hanad Mustafe Musse.“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 4 – 6, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf; Laura Yuen, Mukhtar Ibrahim, and Sasha Aslanian, “Called to fight: Minnesota’s ISIS recruits,” Minnesota Public Radio News, March 25, 2015, http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/25/minnesota-isis. Three of the men pled guilty to terrorism-related charges.Terror Suspect Arrested, Accused Of Helping Others Join ISIS,” CBS Minnesota, December 9, 2015, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/12/09/10th-terror-suspect-arrested-accused-of-helping-others-join-isis/. The only member believed to have successfully reached Syria was Abdiwali Nur, who traveled through Istanbul in May 2014.“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 8, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf. Authorities now believe that Nur is dead.Laura Yuen, “3 of 9 Twin Cities men sentenced in ISIS conspiracy trial,” MPR News, November 14, 2016, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/14/first-day-of-sentencing-isis-trial.
When Abdullahi Yusuf learned that Nur had flown to Turkey in spring 2014 with the intention of fighting alongside ISIS in Syria,“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 4, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf, it prompted Yusuf to meet with Warsame and Omar to discuss making similar plans.“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 4, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf. Afterward, the three men played basketball, then later watched jihadist propaganda videos with the other six individuals. Following their initial meeting, the group met regularly to discuss traveling to Syria to join and fight with ISIS.Dan Browning and Mary Lynn Smith, “Judge orders Twin Cities man suspected of ISIL support held,” Star Tribune (Minneapolis), December 10, 2015, http://www.startribune.com/feds-charge-another-somali-youth-with-supporting-isil-terrorists/361354001/.
Warsame encouraged those of his friends with passports and money to travel to Syria by the end of the summer of 2014.“Minnesota man accused of conspiring to help Islamic State,” NY Daily News, December 10, 2015, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/minnesota-man-accused-conspiring-islamic-state-article-1.2460965. He helped to pay for expedited passport applications, prepared travel itineraries, and shopped for items needed for their trips.“Minnesota man accused of conspiring to help Islamic State,” NY Daily News, December 10, 2015, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/minnesota-man-accused-conspiring-islamic-state-article-1.2460965; “10th Terror Suspect Arrested, Accused Of Helping Others Join ISIS,” CBS Minnesota, December 9, 2015, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/12/09/10th-terror-suspect-arrested-accused-of-helping-others-join-isis/; “United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 6, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf. Warsame himself attempted to apply for an expedited passport in the spring of 2014, however, his application was denied. He eventually obtained a passport in August of 2014, although he apparently never made any effort to travel.“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 7, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf.
Several members of Warsame’s group attempted to leave the United States. Some tried to fly out of Minneapolis and others took buses across the country in an attempt to leave from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Law enforcement officials were able to thwart their attempts and prevent them from boarding their flights.“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 8, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf; “10th Terror Suspect Arrested, Accused Of Helping Others Join ISIS,” CBS Minnesota, December 9, 2015, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/12/09/10th-terror-suspect-arrested-accused-of-helping-others-join-isis/.
In the spring of 2015, the group revived the idea of traveling to Syria. Warsame suggested that they leave through Mexico instead of the United States. “10th Terror Suspect Arrested, Accused Of Helping Others Join ISIS,” CBS Minnesota, December 9, 2015, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2015/12/09/10th-terror-suspect-arrested-accused-of-helping-others-join-isis/; “United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 11, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf; Dan Browning and Mary Lynn Smith, “Judge orders Twin Cities man suspected of ISIL support held,” December 10, 2015, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), http://www.startribune.com/feds-charge-another-somali-youth-with-supporting-isil-terrorists/361354001/.
Warsame was arrested in December of 2015 and charged with one count of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization.“United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 15, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf. Although he reportedly made no attempt to leave the country to take part in jihad, Warsame encouraged and aided the other members of the group to do so.Minnesota man accused of conspiring to help Islamic State,” December 10, 2015, NY Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/minnesota-man-accused-conspiring-islamic-state-article-1.2460965; “United States of America v. Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame,” U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, December 9, 2015, 15, http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/WarsameComplaint.pdf.>
Warsame pled guilty in February of 2016.Dina Temple-Raston, “Jihad Rehab Program To Get Second Participant,” NPR, February 11, 2016, http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/11/466466779/jihad-rehab-program-gets-second-participant?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=storiesfromfreshairnewsandworld. In March, Minnesotan U.S. District Judge Michael Davis ordered that Warsame—alongside Abdurahman, Musse, and Yusuf—be evaluated for a de-radicalization program.Stephen Montemayor and Mila Koumpilova, “Terror suspects will test deradicalization program,” Star Tribune, March 2, 2016, http://www.startribune.com/judge-orders-de-radicalization-study-for-4-terror-defendants/370806141/. German terrorism expert Daniel Koehler determined that Musse was at a high risk for reoffending.Esme Murphy, “German Expert: U.S. Way Behind In Terrorism De-Radicalization,” CBS Minnesota, September 21, 2016, http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/09/21/deradicalization-expert/.
On November 14, 2016, Warsame—after serving 11 months in jail and cooperating with authorities—was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison with 20 years of supervised release. Judge Michael Davis told Warsame that he was “not convinced [he was] still not a jihadist.”Laura Yuen, “3 of 9 Twin Cities men sentenced in ISIS conspiracy trial,” MPR News, November 14, 2016, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/14/first-day-of-sentencing-isis-trial. Warsame had appeared on 60 minutes in October of 2016 to denounce ISIS and share his story. Davis reportedly told the court that Warsame’s appearance on television was just “another chess move.”“In God’s Name,” 60 Minutes, October 30, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-american-teen-isis-cell-leader-scott-pelley/; Laura Yuen, “3 of 9 Twin Cities men sentenced in ISIS conspiracy trial,” MPR News, November 14, 2016, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/14/first-day-of-sentencing-isis-trial.
In April 2018, Warsame was released from an Illinois federal prison and sent to a residential re-entry center.Stephen Montemayor, “Minneapolis man sentenced in ISIS case gets extra time at halfway house for gambling on soccer matches,” Star Tribune, August 8, 2018, http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-man-sentenced-in-isis-case-gets-extra-time-at-halfway-house-for-gambling-on-soccer-matches/490268781/. He was ordered to undergo a substance abuse assessment following a report from his probation officer that Warsame used synthetic marijuana and other narcotics while in prison.Stephen Montemayor, “Minneapolis man sentenced in ISIS case gets extra time at halfway house for gambling on soccer matches,” Star Tribune, August 8, 2018, http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-man-sentenced-in-isis-case-gets-extra-time-at-halfway-house-for-gambling-on-soccer-matches/490268781/. During his stay at the center, Warsame admitted he gambled on soccer games and collected winnings. On August 7, 2018, a U.S. District Court Judge added 15 days to his term at the center, as requested by his probation officer.Frank Rajkowski, “Man Sentenced in ISIS Conspiracy Admits to Gambling at Halfway House,” KSTP-TV (Minnesota), August 7, 2019, https://kstp.com/news/man-sentenced-in-isis-conspiracy-admits-to-gambling-at-halfway-house-abdirizak-mohamed-warsame/5020706/. Warsame was then released to his family in the summer of 2019.Hannah Allam, “‘They Wish Me Dead.’ Convict In ISIS Case Faces Backlash For Helping Feds,” NPR, November 20, 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781111733/they-wish-me-dead-convict-in-isis-case-faces-backlash-for-helping-feds. According to an interview with his mother, Warsame and his family have been ostracized by the Somali community in Minneapolis due to his cooperation with federal authorities.Hannah Allam, “‘They Wish Me Dead.’ Convict In ISIS Case Faces Backlash For Helping Feds,” NPR, November 20, 2019, https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781111733/they-wish-me-dead-convict-in-isis-case-faces-backlash-for-helping-feds.
Financier and propagandist: Pled guilty to one count of plotting to provide material support and resources to ISIS. Used various social media platforms to broadcast support for ISIS.
Told the U.S. court that he “used to watch Anwar al-Awlaki lectures a lot.”
Leader of a group of Somali-American youth from Minnesota who conspired to join ISIS in Syria. Sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in November 2016 for conspiring to provide material support to the group.
Watched ISIS execution videos, including “Flames of War”–– a 55-minute video depicting captured Syrian soldiers being shot after digging their own graves, among other scenes––and a video of a Jordanian pilot being burned alive, which he later stated “touched” him and “made [him] rethink a lot of things.” In a 2016 interview for 60 Minutes, he stated that while watching ISIS videos, “you think you’re doing something for a greater cause…for good…Most of the videos would talk about how if you would engage in jihad you would be doing your family a favor.” Indicated that he watched the videos on YouTube. Also stated in court that he “used to watch Anwar al-Awlaki lectures a lot.”
U.S.-born Maalik Alim Jones (also known as “Abdimalik Jones”) is a former foreign fighter for al-Shabaab in Somalia. Somali forces arrested Jones in December 2015 and transferred him to the United States later that month. The U.S. government indicted Jones in January 2016, and he has since been charged with four terrorism-related counts and one count of possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. Jones has been described in news reports as a white man with a long beard and a missing index finger. He reportedly does not speak any Somali.“US airstrikes kill the leader of ISIS in Libya who is also thought to be the fanatic seen threatening the West in chilling Coptic beheading video,” Daily Mail (London), December 7, 2015, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3349842/Pentagon-confirms-airstrikes-killed-head-ISIS-Libya-senior-al-Shabaab-leader-Somalia.html. In September 2017, Jones pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to al-Shabaab.“United States Citizen Pleads Guilty To Providing Material Support To Al Shabaab,” U.S. Department of Justice, September 8, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/united-states-citizen-pleads-guilty-providing-material-support-al-shabaab.
According to a report by the Baltimore Sun, Jones was raised in a predominantly African-American Muslim community in Upton, West Baltimore. There, he attended a private K-12 Islamic school and a nearby mosque. Residents of Upton claim that there were few signs that Jones was radicalized before he joined the terrorist group in Somalia.Ian Duncan, “Accused al-Shabaab fighter came from heart of Baltimore's African-American Muslim community,” Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2016, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-maalik-jones-al-shabbab-20160117-story.html.
In 2005, Jones married a woman from Morocco. Three years later, Jones was charged with child abuse and second-degree assault after severely attacking his nephew. Court documents show that Jones pleaded guilty to the charges and spent close to a month in jail. He was fined $100, court-ordered to receive treatment for anger management, and given two years’ probation.Ian Duncan, “Accused al-Shabaab fighter came from heart of Baltimore's African-American Muslim community,” Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2016, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-maalik-jones-al-shabbab-20160117-story.html.
In July of 2011, Jones left behind his wife and two young children to join al-Shabaab in Somalia. According to court documents, Jones reached the terrorist group after traveling through New York, the United Arab Emirates, and Kenya.United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Indictment, U.S. Department of Justice, January 11, 2016, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812376/download. Once joining up with al-Shabaab, Jones allegedly attended an al-Shabaab training camp, where he received religious indoctrination, and learned how to shoot firearms and operate rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).Ian Duncan, “Accused al-Shabaab fighter came from heart of Baltimore's African-American Muslim community,” Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2016, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-maalik-jones-al-shabbab-20160117-story.html.
After completing training with al-Shabaab, Jones allegedly joined a specialized commando unit within al-Shabaab's fighting arm. The unit, Jaysh Ayman, is allegedly responsible for a slew of attacks in Somalia, as well as cross-border raids on military and civilian targets in neighboring Kenya.United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Criminal Complaint, U.S. Department of Justice, December 12, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812381/download. Among other targets in both Kenya and Somalia, Jaysh Ayman is allegedly responsible for a June 6, 2014, attack on a hotel bar in Mpekatoni, Kenya, killing 40; a July 2014 attack on government buildings, a trading center, and a church in the coastal village of Hindi, Kenya, killing nine; and the June 14, 2015, attack on a Kenyan army base in Lamu County, Kenya, killing two soldiers.United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Criminal Complaint, U.S. Department of Justice, December 12, 2015, 8-9, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812381/download. During his time with al-Shabaab, Jones appeared in at least two videos with the terrorist group, according to court documents.em>United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Criminal Complaint, U.S. Department of Justice, December 12, 2015, 13, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812381/download.
In December 2015, Jones was arrested by Somali security forces 10 miles southwest of Mogadishu, allegedly while trying to flee the country for Yemen.United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Criminal Complaint, U.S. Department of Justice, December 12, 2015, 13, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812381/download. After the FBI filed a criminal complaint against Jones on December 12, Jones was secretly flown back to the United States and brought to a U.S. court in New York.Ian Duncan, “Accused al-Shabaab fighter came from heart of Baltimore's African-American Muslim community,” Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2016, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-maalik-jones-al-shabbab-20160117-story.html. Early news reports claimed that Jones had surrendered to law enforcement in Somalia after defecting from al-Shabaab amid internal disagreements between the group’s foreign fighters and Somali fighters over whether the jihadists should pledge allegiance to ISIS or remain affiliated with al-Qaeda.Associated Press, “Somali forces arrest American fighting with Islamic rebels,” Journal, December 7, 2015, http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20151207/API/312079682/SomaliforcesarrestAmericanfightingwithIslamicrebels;
Associated Press, “2 American extremists defect in Somalia amid tensions,” Business Insider, December 8, 2015, http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-2-american-extremists-defect-in-somalia-amid-tensions-2015-12;
Ian Duncan, “Accused al-Shabaab fighter came from heart of Baltimore's African-American Muslim community,” Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2016, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-maalik-jones-al-shabbab-20160117-story.html. Some reports have suggested that Jones fled al-Shabaab out of fear of being targeted by the group's secret police.Tom Odula, “Official: 200 al-Shabab fighters pledge allegiance to IS,” Associated Press, December 24, 2015, http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e686123d8e8f4290851a279e812e25ff/official-200-al-shabab-fighters-pledge-allegiance;
“US born al-Shabaab insurgent Abdimalik Jones surrenders,” YouTube video, 0:42, Posted by CCTV Africa, December 8, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfuVXoZNU9A.
According to a phone interview in December 2015 between Reuters and a Maryland man identified as “Malik John,” the interviewee (believed to be Maalik Jones) “decided to leave [al-Shabaab] two months ago [in October 2015].” During the interview, “John” claimed that he “hated [al-Shabaab] because [he] found their ideology was totally wrong.”Feisal Omar, “U.S. citizen who fought for Islamist group surrenders in Somalia: official,” Reuters, December 7, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-somalia-militants-usa-idUSKBN0TQ2K320151207. However, U.S. court documents filed in December 2015 and January 2016 make no reference to a surrender or defection by Jones from al-Shabaab, neither due to ideological reasons, nor reasons tied to personal safety.Andrea Noble, “Maryland man indicted for support of al Shabaab,” January 11, 2016, Washington Times, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/11/maalik-alim-jones-indicted-support-al-shabaab/;
United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Criminal Complaint, U.S. Department of Justice, December 12, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812381/download;
United States of America v. Maalik Alim Jones: Indictment, U.S. Department of Justice, January 11, 2016, http://www.justice.gov/opa/file/812376/download.
On September 8, 2017, Jones pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to and receive military training from al-Shabaab, and carrying and using an AK-47 machine gun, rocket-propelled grenades, and other weapons on behalf of the terrorist group. The military training charge carries a minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The military training charge carries a minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison.“United States Citizen Pleads Guilty To Providing Material Support To Al Shabaab,” U.S. Department of Justice, September 8, 2017, https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/united-states-citizen-pleads-guilty-providing-material-support-al-shabaab. On May 29, 2018, Jones was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.“United States Citizen Sentenced to 35 Years for Providing Material Support to Al-Shabaab,” U.S. Department of Justice, May 29, 2018, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-citizen-sentenced-35-years-providing-material-support-al-shabaab. He is currently incarcerated at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Brooklyn, New York, with a scheduled release date of November 11, 2045.“Maalik Alim Jones,” Find an Inmate – Federal Bureau of Prisons, accessed January 25, 2021, https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/.
Jones was arrested around the same time as Muhammed Abdullahi Hassan a.k.a. Mujahid Miski, a Minnesotan who fought with al-Shabaab and promoted jihadist ideology online. The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying that Miski had “surrendered to the Federal Government of Somalia on November 6, 2015.”Email from U.S. State Department spokesman, December 7, 2015. In an exclusive interview with Voice of America while in custody, Miski admitted to working for al-Shabaab’s “media and preaching departments,” but left in 2013 because he believed the group was unfairly imprisoning, torturing, and killing people.Dan Joseph and Harun Maruf, “American Al-Shabab, Nabbed in Somalia, Denies IS Links,” Voice of America, December 8, 2015, http://m.voanews.com/a/american-al-shabab-arrested-in-somalia-denies-links-to-is/3093529.html.
“Abu Adam al-Muhajir” is an ISIS propagandist on Twitter purportedly living in ISIS-controlled territory. He tweets about his journey to the so-called caliphate and his experiences living there.
Al-Muhajir proudly declares he lives in ISIS-held territory. Al-Muhajir criticizes Westerners who “have never seen a knife properly let alone a gun.”Abu Adam al-Muhajir, Twitter post, July 23, 2015, 8:34 a.m., https://twitter.com/IronMuhajir/status/624241235289620481. Even women and children carry knives and guns in the so-called Islamic State, he tweeted on July 23, 2015.Abu Adam al-Muhajir, Twitter post, July 23, 2015, 8:38 a.m., https://twitter.com/IronMuhajir/status/624242171298902016. Al-Muhajir has also tweeted his pride at seeing children carrying weapons and imitating ISIS fighters.
Al-Muhajir praises the concepts of jihad and martyrdom. There is “no better feeling than when the call comes for jihad,” he tweeted on July 23, 2015.Abu Adam al-Muhajir, Twitter post, July 23, 2015, 3:26 a.m., https://twitter.com/IronMuhajir/status/624163642792148992.
Al-Muhajir has tweeted praise for other ISIS fighters, comparing them to family.
Al-Muhajir has also tweeted about his amazement upon meeting different types of immigrants to ISIS-held territory. He praises ISIS for accepting and training foreign fighters.
One series of tweets in July 2015 described how al-Muhajir crossed the border into Syria from Turkey with a group that included young children, and was almost caught by Turkish security forces.Abu Adam al-Muhajir, Twitter post, July 29, 2015, 9:16 a.m., https://twitter.com/IronMuhajir/status/626425978928152576. He described meeting ISIS forces across the border, writing “there was not a happier sight that day.”Abu Adam al-Muhajir, Twitter post, July 29, 2015, 9:28 a.m., https://twitter.com/IronMuhajir/status/626429214129000448. ISIS then “sheltered us, fed us, clothed us, trained us, protected us and taught us with Allah's mercy,” according to al-Muhajir.Abu Adam al-Muhajir, Twitter post, July 28, 2015, 12:16 p.m., https://twitter.com/IronMuhajir/status/626108938551984128.
French jihadist “Abu Salman al-Faranci” is a propagandist and recruiter for ISIS. Al-Faranci uses Twitter to propagandize and call on Muslims to make hijrah (migrate) to ISIS-held territory.
On August 5, 2015, al-Faranci tweeted, “One who has forsaken hijra [migration] Allah will punish...”AbuSalman_AlFaranci, Twitter post, August 5, 2015, 7:33 a.m., https://twitter.com/SJazayri/status/628936752548454400. The next day he tweeted, “Stop being hypocrites with yourselves… the brothers of Aqeedah in France I swear to you, you are worth nothing compared to the people of Hijra [migration] and jihad.”AbuSalman_AlFaranci, Twitter post, August 6, 2015, 8:09 p.m., https://twitter.com/SJazayri/status/629489517431517184. On August 12, he wrote, “Don’t ask Too many Questions… Don’t let Satan Dominate… Make your Preparations… Heal your Intention… #Hijrah [migration]_Party”AbuSalman_AlFaranci, Twitter post, August 12, 2015, 1:36 a.m., https://twitter.com/SJazayri/status/631383667131199488.
Translation: “Stop being hypocrites with yourselves… the brothers of Aqeedah in France I swear to you, you are worth nothing compared to the people of Hijra [migration] and jihad.”
Translation: “One who has forsaken hijra [migration] Allah will punish...”
In November 2014, Abu Salman al-Faranci appeared in an ISIS video titled “What Are You Waiting For?”Des combattants français de l’Etat islamique appellent les musulmans à commettre des attentats en France,” MEMRI FR, November 20, 2014, http://www.memri.fr/2014/11/20/des-combattants-francais-de-letat-islamique-appellent-les-musulmans-a-commettre-des-attentats-en-france/. The video—produced by ISIS’s Al-Hayat Media Center—features al-Faranci pressuring his audience to make hijrah to ISIS territory. In cases where hijrah is not possible, al-Faranci urges his viewers to “operate within France,” including by terrorizing French citizens and killing them using weapons, cars, and poison. Al-Faranci says: “[P]oison the water and food of at least one of the enemies of Allah. Kill them and spit in their faces and run over them with your cars. Do whatever you are able to do in order to humiliate them, for they deserve only this.”Des combattants français de l’Etat islamique appellent les musulmans à commettre des attentats en France,” MEMRI FR, November 20, 2014, http://www.memri.fr/2014/11/20/des-combattants-francais-de-letat-islamique-appellent-les-musulmans-a-commettre-des-attentats-en-france/.
“Abu Osama” is a French-speaking propagandist and recruiter for ISIS. Osama uses social media outlets—including Twitter—to propagandize and recruit members to ISIS. Abu Osama appears to have maintained at least two accounts—@AbouOuss1020 and @abouuOussama10—that retweet each other. Though unconfirmed, it appears Osama is also the same French recruiter as Abu Osama al-Faranci, who has appeared in an ISIS video titled “What Are You Waiting For?”Des combattants français de l’Etat islamique appellent les musulmans à commettre des attentats en France,” MEMRI FR, November 20, 2014, http://www.memri.fr/2014/11/20/des-combattants-francais-de-letat-islamique-appellent-les-musulmans-a-commettre-des-attentats-en-france. The video, produced by ISIS’s Al-Hayat Media Center, features al-Faranci pressuring his audience to make hijrah (migration) to ISIS territory.
Screenshot from ISIS’s “What Are You Waiting For?” video, produced by Al-Hayat Media Center
Through Twitter, Abu Osama uses guilt, fear, derision, intimidation, and other pressure tactics in order to convince French Muslims to join ISIS.
On August 8, 2015, Osama tweeted, “Are they good your vacations in the sun? You had fun, huh? And your brothers who are being killed bc you stayed home, does that cross your mind occasionally?”Abu Osama, Twitter post, August 8, 2015, 8:09 a.m. On August 2, 2015, Osama tweeted, “Prepare an answer to the question, ‘Why didn’t you fight My enemies like I commanded you’….”AbZeyd, Twitter post, August 2, 2015, 1:58 p.m.
These types of posts come in contrast with more direct tactics for recruitment, including a June 2015 post wherein Osama tweeted, “Hurry, there are still routes open for the Hijra [migration]… #Tawakul [trust in Allah]”AbZeyd, Twitter post, June 17, 2015, 12:44 p.m. In another June post, he wrote, “We’re almost at the middle of the night, leave your tel[ephone] and your pc [computer] and pray to your lord for your brothers. Baraka Allah fik akhi [May Allah bless you, brother].”AbZeyd, Twitter post, June 14, 2015, 4:23 p.m.
Translation: “Your sister has been raped[,] imprisoned[, and] tortured and you[,] your greatest concern is knowing what movie you’ll see tonight.”
Osama’s posts also idealize violence, and praise ISIS’s use of violence in particular. On August 3, 2015, Osama posted, “The pride you will feel when you have a Kalash[nikov rifle] in hand, when you will ensure that Allah’s laws are enforced on Earth….”Abu Osama, Twitter post, August 3, 2015, 2:42 a.m.
Abu Osama has also praised and rationalized ISIS’s history of violence. In June 2015, he touted ISIS’s killing of “46,000 disbelievers.”AbZeyd, Twitter post, June 11, 2015, 8:46 a.m. In August, he posted a tweet in alliance with ISIS’s rationalization of violence, writing, “Oh you Muslims, Islam has never been a religion of peace, Islam is a religion of combat.”AbZeyd, Twitter post, August 1, 2015, 7:13 p.m.
Translation: “The pride you will feel when you have a Kalash[nikov rifle] in hand, when you will ensure that Allah’s laws are enforced on Earth…”
Osama has also used Twitter to idealize life under ISIS rule, writing on August 3, 2015, that “the best sensation that I’ve had is when I took my first steps on the land of Islam [ISIS-held territory]…”AbZeyd, Twitter post, August 3, 2015, 12:28 p.m. In that vein, Osama occasionally posts photos advertising life under ISIS rule, looking to emphasize the so-called Islamic nature of ISIS territory through his photos.
Translation: “It’s not in France that you will see this… ma sha Allah [whatever Allah wills]”
Translation: “The Muslim population is watching Islamic State [ISIS] videos .. It’s not in France that you will see this”
Described as a “war tourist” by a policy analyst in Washington, D.C.,Scott Shane, Rebekah Zemanskyap, “Judge Rules Against Veteran Who Fought Alongside Syrian Rebels,” New York Times, April 8, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/world/eric-harroun-who-fought-with-syrian-rebels-loses-a-court-fight.html?_r=0. Eric Harroun was captivated by the Middle East years before his first visit to the region in 2003.Robert Young Pelton, “The All-American Life and Death of Eric Harroun,” Vice News, April 11, 2014, https://news.vice.com/article/the-all-american-life-and-death-of-eric-harroun. Between 2003 and 2008, Harroun traveled back and forth between the U.S. and the Middle East, visiting Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt.Robert Young Pelton, “The All-American Life and Death of Eric Harroun,” Vice News, April 11, 2014, https://news.vice.com/article/the-all-american-life-and-death-of-eric-harroun. There are no reports that he engaged with extremist groups or was radicalized during this period. However, he did grow increasingly sympathetic to the problems in the region during this time, blaming not only local governments but U.S. foreign policy as well.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria.
As a result, Harroun participated in anti-government protests in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt in 2010, and by 2012 was fighting alongside anti-Assad militants in Syria.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. Harroun’s war coverage—on the Internet and specifically social media—was widespread.Scott Shane, Rebekah Zemanskyap, “Judge Rules Against Veteran Who Fought Alongside Syrian Rebels,” New York Times, April 8, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/world/eric-harroun-who-fought-with-syrian-rebels-loses-a-court-fight.html?_r=0.
From January 2013 to March 2013, Harroun engaged in anti-Assad militant activities in Syria.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. He came under scrutiny by American intelligence and law enforcement for videos that he posted on Facebook and YouTube.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. Some of these images allegedly include Harroun alongside anti-Assad forces that may have been Nusra Front militants.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria;
Carol Cratty, “Army veteran pleads to lesser charge in Syria fighting case,” CNN, September 20, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/politics/eric-harroun-plea-deal-syria/. The Nusra Front was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in December 2012.Michael R. Gordon, Anne Bernard, “U.S. Places Militant Syrian Rebel Group on List of Terrorist Organizations,” New York Times, December 10, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/world/middleeast/us-designates-syrian-al-nusra-front-as-terrorist-group.html?_r=0.
Once Harroun returned to the United States on March 27, 2013, he voluntarily met with FBI agents at Dulles Airport and was detained the next day on charges that included using a weapon of mass destruction and conspiring to provide material support to a FTO.Robert Young Pelton, “A Weapon of Minor Destruction,” Foreign Policy, April 4, 2013, http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/04/04/a-weapon-of-minor-destruction/. His public defender at an April 2013 hearing in Virginia argued that there was no evidence to support the allegation that Harroun worked with any terrorist organization. Harroun was released months later in September 2013 on the lesser “export charge involving conspiracy to transfer defense articles.” The court later accepted his period of detainment from March 2013 to September 2013 as a sufficient period of time served.Carol Cratty, “Army veteran pleads to lesser charge in Syria fighting case,” CNN, September 20, 2013, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/politics/eric-harroun-plea-deal-syria/.
This was unlikely Harroun’s first encounter with American officials. A New Yorker article published in early 2015 asserts possible ongoing communications between Harroun and a CIA case officer who went by the name of “Wayne” as early as 2008.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. In February of 2009, the article indicates Harroun planned to learn Arabic and convert to Islam “at the behest of” American intelligence.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. Harroun converted to Islam in Tucson, Arizona, in May 2009 before leaving for Egypt where he moved into a hostel near Tahrir Square, the epicenter for the 2011 protests.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. Consequently, some writers, like Robert Young Pelton, raise the question as to whether Harroun was “duped” into becoming an FBI informant.Robert Young Pelton, “A Weapon of Minor Destruction,” Foreign Policy, April 4, 2013, http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/04/04/a-weapon-of-minor-destruction/.
Other writers like Gregg Tepper and Ilan Ben Zion have alternatively written for Foreign Policy and other outlets highlighting a more traditional assessment of Harroun as a radicalized American jihadist who embraced Islam through friendships with Muslims in the United States and abroad. Tepper and Ben Zion also note that in ongoing direct communications with Harroun, the would-be jihadist presented himself as “a self-described Sunni Muslim” who claimed to be a Nusra member.Greg Tepper, Ilan Ben Zion, “The Jihadist from Phoenix,” Foreign Policy, March 22, 2013, http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/03/22/the-jihadist-from-phoenix/?wp_login_redirect=0 . The authors also note that Harroun called one of the authors a “kike” repeatedly over the period of their interactions and denounced the authors as “Zionist conspirators” for an article on him posted on Fox News.Greg Tepper, Ilan Ben Zion, “The Jihadist from Phoenix,” Foreign Policy, March 22, 2013, http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/03/22/the-jihadist-from-phoenix/?wp_login_redirect=0 .
It is unclear whether Eric Harroun’s radicalization was authentic or part of his purported role as an informant to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Harroun was born in 1981 in Colorado. He was arrested in sixth grade for robbery and described in military records between 2000 and 2003 as having a “personality disorder.”Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria. Harroun was honorably discharged in 2003 after incurring serious injuries in a car accident in April of that same year.Nicholas Schmidle, “Lost in Syria,” New Yorker, February 16, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/16/lost-syria.
Harroun died of an accidental drug overdose on April 8, 2014.Anna Therese Day, “American Jihadist Who Fought in Syria Dies of an Overdose in Arizona,” Daily Beast, April 10, 2014, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/10/american-jihadist-who-fought-in-syria-dies-of-an-overdose-in-arizona.html.
Foreign fighter, Arizona: Told his mother in December 2012 that he was going to fight in Syria, and was later found to have fought alongside the Free Syrian Army and the Nusra Front. Harroun returned to the United States in March 2013 and voluntarily spoke with the FBI. He was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to use destructive forces overseas. Harroun pled guilty to lesser charge and was sentenced to time served. He was found dead of an alleged drug overdose in April 2014.
Converted to Islam in Tucson, Arizona, in May 2009. Harroun was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 2003. He visited Kuwait in 2005 and moved to Beirut, Lebanon, in 2008 but returned to the United States later that year. Harroun also traveled to Egypt in December 2010 to participate in protests against the government. He was a self-described heroin addict.
(Age at conversion: 26)
Amiir Farouk Ibrahim was reportedly the second American to die fighting alongside ISIS.Betsy Hiel, “Quick demise of ISIS terrorist group unlikely, experts say,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 7, 2015, http://triblive.com/usworld/betsyhiel/7730474-74/isis-syria-paz#axzz3pmghFC3v.
Ibrahim was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and held dual U.S.-Egyptian citizenship. His father, Farouk, worked for Pittsburgh’s steel industry and spent 14 years in western Pennsylvania. The family returned to the Middle East when Ibrahim was a small child.Betsy Hiel and Carl Prine, “Pittsburgh man reported killed in Syria,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 26, 2013, http://triblive.com/news/editorspicks/4415705-74/ibrahim-syria-syrian#axzz3pmghFC3v. Ibrahim returned to the United States in 2003 to attend college.Carl Prine and Betsy Hiel, “Pittsburgh-born man seduced by Syria's holy war,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 27, 2013, http://triblive.com/news/editorspicks/4423864-74/ibrahim-syria-foreign#axzz3pmghFC3v. After he graduated in 2008, Ibrahim reportedly wanted to stay in America to proselytize for Islam, but his family convinced him to return to Cairo.Betsy Hiel and Carl Prine, “Pittsburgh man reported killed in Syria,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 26, 2013, http://triblive.com/news/editorspicks/4415705-74/ibrahim-syria-syrian#axzz3pmghFC3v.
Ibrahim was heavily involved in Islamic activities, and worked at an Islamic university in Cairo. In 2011, Ibrahim began posting Islamist propaganda on his Facebook page. He supported the Islamist Hazem Abu Ismail, who was running for president against Hosni Mubarak. Ibrahim wrote that he dreamed of Egypt becoming an Islamic state. Ibrahim also praised Mohammed Bouyeri, who murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in November 2004 over an anti-Islam film Van Gogh had made. Ibrahim referred to Bouyeri as a “hero” who “put an end to these extreme insults … making fun of our religion and Quran.” Ibrahim also referred to Shiite Muslims as “Shia dogs in Iraq.”Betsy Hiel, “Web postings praise killer of Dutch filmmaker, jihad,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 26, 2013, http://triblive.com/usworld/betsyhiel/4424262-74/bouyeri-filmmaker-gogh#axzz3pmghFC3v.
In early 2013, Ibrahim reportedly met a group of Turkish men who allegedly wanted Ibrahim to join them in a software business. Between February and March 2013, Ibrahim moved to Turkey. From Turkey he crossed into Syria. Ibrahim would call his family from Syria and tell them he was helping people escape the fighting. His father refused to speak to him during those calls. Farouk Ibrahim had earlier refused his son’s request for permission to go to Syria.Betsy Hiel and Carl Prine, “Pittsburgh man reported killed in Syria,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 26, 2013, http://triblive.com/news/editorspicks/4415705-74/ibrahim-syria-syrian#axzz3pmghFC3v.
In July 2013, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights found Ibrahim’s passport in an abandoned ISIS camp among a stack of travel documents belonging to foreign fighters. ISIS had retreated from the camp after fighting with the Kurdish group Yekineyen Parastina Gel (People’s Protection Units, or YPG). The British group said it did not know the fate of the passports’ owners, but one of Ibrahim’s brothers in Cairo reported to the media that a friend had told him Ibrahim had been killed in Syria.Betsy Hiel, “Web postings praise killer of Dutch filmmaker, jihad,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 26, 2013, http://triblive.com/usworld/betsyhiel/4424262-74/bouyeri-filmmaker-gogh#axzz3pmghFC3v.
Sixto Ramiro Garcia was an American foreign fighter who traveled from Houston, Texas, to Syria to join ISIS alongside his friend, Asher Abid Khan.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download. Garcia was a Mexican-born convert who went by the name Abdullah Ali.Adam Goldman, “An American family saved their son from joining the Islamic State. Now he might go to prison,” Washington Post, September 6, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/an-american-family-saved-their-son-from-joining-the-islamic-state-now-he-might-go-to-prison/2015/09/06/2d3d0f48-44ef-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html.
Garcia grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, and attended high school with Khan. The pair watched extremist videos online, and photos began to emerge of Garcia posing with a black flag and rifles on Instagram.Adam Goldman, “An American family saved their son from joining the Islamic State. Now he might go to prison,” Washington Post, September 6, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/an-american-family-saved-their-son-from-joining-the-islamic-state-now-he-might-go-to-prison/2015/09/06/2d3d0f48-44ef-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html. Khan’s relationship with his parents became strained as he objected to his parents’ decision to work at a business that sold alcohol.Adam Goldman, “An American family saved their son from joining the Islamic State. Now he might go to prison,” Washington Post, September 6, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/an-american-family-saved-their-son-from-joining-the-islamic-state-now-he-might-go-to-prison/2015/09/06/2d3d0f48-44ef-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html. Due to family tensions, he moved to Australia to live with his uncle in October 2013. He later joined Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international political organization that seeks to create an Islamic caliphate, and began considering the idea of traveling to Syria as a foreign fighter.Adam Goldman, “An American family saved their son from joining the Islamic State. Now he might go to prison,” Washington Post, September 6, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/an-american-family-saved-their-son-from-joining-the-islamic-state-now-he-might-go-to-prison/2015/09/06/2d3d0f48-44ef-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html.
Khan reached out to Garcia via Facebook on January 6, 2014, to inform him he wanted to go to Iraq to join ISIS.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download. Over the next few days, the pair researched and discussed travel logistics and on January 11, 2014, Khan messaged an ISIS facilitator on Facebook to express their desires to join.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download;
“Texas man arrested after family lures him back from ISIS’ clutches,” Fox News, May 26, 2015, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/05/26/texas-man-arrested-after-family-lures-him-back-from-isis-clutches/.
The facilitator only identified himself as “Mohammad” to the men.Adam Goldman, “An American family saved their son from joining the Islamic State. Now he might go to prison,” Washington Post, September 6, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/an-american-family-saved-their-son-from-joining-the-islamic-state-now-he-might-go-to-prison/2015/09/06/2d3d0f48-44ef-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html. According to the FBI, Mohammad was a Turkish national who had several Facebook accounts that he used to recruit and direct foreign fighters.“Texas man arrested after family lures him back from ISIS’ clutches,” Fox News, May 26, 2015, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/05/26/texas-man-arrested-after-family-lures-him-back-from-isis-clutches/. He advised Garcia and Khan how to get to Turkey, and planned to smuggle them across the Syrian border. He told them to purchase inexpensive, one-way tickets, an untraceable cellphone, and to trim their beards to not appear suspicious.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download;
“Texas man arrested after family lures him back from ISIS’ clutches,” Fox News, May 26, 2015, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/05/26/texas-man-arrested-after-family-lures-him-back-from-isis-clutches/.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Garcia traveled from Houston, Texas to London, United Kingdom on February 23, 2014.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download. The next day, Khan flew from Malaysia to Turkey to meet Garcia there later that night. However, Khan’s family contacted him saying that his mother had become seriously ill. They hoped this fallacy would cause him to return home. James Queally, “Texas man arrested, accused of helping friend travel overseas to join Islamic State,” Los Angeles Times, May 26, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-islamic-state-support-20150526-story.html.
Upon arriving in Turkey, Garcia learned Khan would not be meeting him there, as his friend had been deceived and had decided to return home. Although he had deserted Garcia, Khan continued to stay in contact with him and made sure Mohammad was able to find him. He messaged the ISIS recruiter and told him how to find his friend so that Garcia could make it across the border.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download.
On February 26, 2014, Garcia and Mohammad met for the first time at the Palladium Mall food court in Antakya, Turkey, a town along the Turkish-Syrian border.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download. Garcia stayed the night at a hotel and met Mohammad the following day at 11 a.m. Later, he contacted Khan and stated he had, “been delivered :)” but he was not yet with ISIS.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download.
Over a month passed before Garcia contacted Khan again, on March 29, 2014, saying he had gone through boot camp and had his own AK-47 rifle. Several weeks later Garcia told Kahn he was still not with ISIS and training with a different group that had just formed but he would join them once his training was complete.“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download.
By August 11, 2014, Garcia informed Khan he had joined the ranks of ISIS and that he “wanted to be with them in the first place.”“United States of America v. Asher Abdin Khan,” U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, May 25, 2015, http://www.justice.gov/file/441346/download.
In September 2015, the Washington Post reported Garcia was deceased. An unnamed person had used his Facebook account to contact his family to say he had died as a martyr.Adam Goldman, “An American family saved their son from joining the Islamic State. Now he might go to prison,” Washington Post, September 6, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/an-american-family-saved-their-son-from-joining-the-islamic-state-now-he-might-go-to-prison/2015/09/06/2d3d0f48-44ef-11e5-8ab4-c73967a143d3_story.html.
Foreign fighter, Texas: Mexican-born U.S. resident who traveled to Syria to join ISIS in February 2014. Garcia was reportedly killed in Syria in September 2015.
Convert to Islam, according to the Daily Caller. Garcia used the name Abdullah Ali after his conversion. Other conversion details could not be determined.
(No estimated age at conversion)
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
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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