Ansar al Sharia Libya — the al Qaeda-linked group that took part in the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi that killed the US ambassador and three Americans — recently distributed sheep to needy families in honor of Abu Anas al Libi, the al Qaeda leader who was captured by US special operations forces in Tripoli in early October. Al Libi was wanted for his role in the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. From the SITE Intelligence Group’s summary of the Ansar al Sharia Libya campaign for al Libi:
Ansar al-Shariah – Libya (ASL) posted a video of its members distributing sheep to what it said were needy families in Benghazi for the feast of Eid al-Adha as part of its campaign in honor of Nazih al-Ruqai (AKA Abu Anas al-Libi), an al-Qaeda official captured in Tripoli by US Special Forces. The 5 minute, 2 second video was posted on Facebook page belonging to the Raya Media Foundation, ASL’s official media arm, on October 17, 2013. The video documents the first of four mass deliveries of sheep to needy families for the holiday.
This isn’t the first time that Ansar al Sharia Libya has weighed in on al Libi’s capture. On Oct. 9, just days after al Libi’s capture was announced, Ansar al Sharia Libya denounced the operation and issued not-so-veiled threats against the Libyan government for allowing the al Qaeda operative to be taken by American troops.
“The Libyan government today seeks only to strengthen its existence and power through presenting loyalty to these belligerent countries and offering them facilitations [sic] in the country,” Ansar al Sharia wrote, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. “Their planes watch us and violate our sanctities and spy on the private lives of Muslims without supervision, as if this government forgot what happened to Gaddafi after he abandoned the Shariah and allied with the disbelievers and fought Islam.”
For more information on Abu Anas al Libi, see LWJ report, ‘Core’ al Qaeda member captured in Libya.
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