Since arriving in Syria in early October, Dr. Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini has attempted to mediate disputes between jihadist groups. He has said that Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar should serve as models for the Syrian opposition. His efforts and fundraising have been praised by an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb official.
Jordanian authorities reportedly arrested Raed Hijazi in November. According to the 9/11 Commission report, Hijazi was a key member of a terrorist cell that was broken up in late 1999. The cell was planning multiple attacks in Jordan at the time.
Adam Gadahn, an al Qaeda propagandist and spokesman, has released a video denouncing the capture of top al Qaeda operative Abu Anas al Libi. While calling for vengeance, Gadahn tries to portray al Libi as an innocent who was wrongly detained.
The Chechen-led Army of the Emigrants and Helpers in Syria has sworn allegiance to the head of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham. The group is awaiting approval from the head of the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Caucasus Emirate.
For the past few days, Ansar al Sharia has been battling Libyan security forces in the city of Benghazi. More than one year after the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the US mission, the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia remains a potent force.
Testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on al Qaeda’s network in Africa and the threat it poses to the US
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has joined other jihadist groups in releasing a statement praising Hakeemullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban commander killed earlier this month. Ansar al Sharia Tunisia posted the message on one of its official Facebook pages.
The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an al Qaeda-linked group, has claimed responsibility for twin suicide attacks on the Iranian embassy in Beirut.
Top British intelligence and security officials testified to the “rising” threat of al Qaeda last week. One official explained that there have been 34 terrorist plots in Britain since the 7/7 bombings and most of these have ties to al Qaeda groups overseas. The officials also expressed concern over al Qaeda’s growing presence inside Syria.
The Tunisian government blamed Ansar al Sharia for a failed suicide bombing and an additional planned suicide attack last week.
A senior administration official warned earlier this week that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (or Levant) is a “transnational threat” and “an increasing threat to us.” Iraq has exploded in violence since the withdrawal of American troops. The official said 38 suicide bombers have launched attacks in the last month alone.
Ansar al Sharia Libya has a new Twitter feed. In recent days, the group also showcased its first open event in the city of Derna.
A suicide bomber blew himself up in the coastal city of Sousse earlier today. According to Tunisian officials, the bombing was part of a planned wave of attacks. No group has claimed the attack, but it comes after weeks of escalating violence between Ansar al Sharia and the Tunisian government.
The UN added Muhammad Jamal al Kashef to its al Qaeda sanctions list on Oct. 18. The US government previously designated Jamal on Oct. 7. The UN noted Jamal’s ties to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, whereas the US government’s announcement did not. Jamal’s network continues to plan attacks.
A new report by Human Rights Watch says that al Qaeda’s affiliates and their extremist allies committed atrocities in Latakia, Syria in August. The two al Qaeda affiliates in Syria and their close allies led the rebel offensive in Latakia as well.
Ansar al Sharia Libya has issued a statement saying “we must seek to release the captive brother” Abu Anas al Libi, who was seized by US forces on Oct. 5.
The State Department designated Muhammad Jamal and the Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN) as terrorists. Jamal established connections to al Qaeda’s senior leadership, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
A senior al Qaeda operative, Abu Anas al Libi, was captured in Tripoli, Libya. Al Libi has served al Qaeda since the 1990s. According to a report published by the Library of Congress in August 2012, he was the “builder of al Qaeda’s network in Libya.”
Reporting from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shows that al Qaeda’s two affiliates inside Syria continue to collude despite a leadership dispute that became public in April.
In a July report warning of “new and more complex operations in Kenya,” the UN also identified an al Qaeda operative who has been entrusted by Ayman al Zawahiri to train Somalis and other African recruits. The operative, known as “Hassan,” has also reportedly trained Boko Haram fighters.
A report published by a UN Monitoring Group in July warned that Al Hijra, Shabaab’s affiliate in Kenya, was planning more complicated attacks utilizing fighters who had returned from Somalia. The report also revealed that the US has been funding the “Al-Shabaab/East Africa Al-Qaida Disruption Initiative,” which has targeted Al Hijra’s leaders.
According to Syrian opposition sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, some light weapons and ammunition “funneled” by the CIA into Syria have been captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al Qaeda affiliate.
Testimony to the House Committee on Homeland Security, on al Qaeda in Syria and the threat it poses to the US. Al Qaeda affiliates and allied jihadist groups dominate the insurgency in the heart of the Middle East.
According to the New York Times, videos posted online suggest “cooperation” between al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and a Free Syrian Army brigade in an assault on Malula earlier this week. Separately, Ahrar al Sham condemned the prospect of Western intervention in Syria.
In a new statement, Ansar al Sharia claims it is organizationally independent, but confirms its “loyalty” to al Qaeda. The Tunisian government claimed last week that the group is closely linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
The Tunisian government has labeled Ansar al Sharia a terrorist organization. The group’s leaders, including Seifallah ben Hassine, have longstanding ties to al Qaeda and terrorism. Ben Hassine has been identified as the “mastermind” of the Sept. 14, 2012 attack on the US Embassy in Tunis.
The US Treasury Department today designated al Qaeda’s leader in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces, as well as the Ganj Madrassa in Peshawar, Pakistan. The madrassa is “controlled” by an al Qaeda facilitator who also serves the Taliban and recruits for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Mohammed al Zawahiri was arrested in Egypt. He became a well-known figure in post-Mubarak Egypt and openly advocated al Qaeda’s ideology. He has numerous reported ties to terrorists and helped incite the Sept. 11, 2012 US Embassy protest in Cairo.
Bloomberg News reported that Ayman al Zawahiri communicated with “other regional terrorist commanders” as well as the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Zawahiri’s communications are what led the US to shutter more than 20 diplomatic facilities.
Al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for a deadly string of bombings inside Iraq on Aug. 10. The State Department also confirmed that the ISIL’s emir has relocated to Syria.