CNN has now confirmed the heart of the Daily Beast’s story on Ayman al Zawahiri’s communications with his subordinates. The communications led the US government to close more than 20 diplomatic facilities.
The State Department said 21 US embassies and consulates will be closed on Sunday, Aug. 4, in response to a suspected threat from an al Qaeda affiliate. No specific details about the threat have been provided. Al Qaeda-linked jihadists assaulted multiple diplomatic facilities in September 2012.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has issued a statement mourning the death of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s deputy leader, Said al Shihri. The statement quickly made the rounds on jihadist social media sites.
Reuters reports that a Jesuit priest has been kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In June, another priest was targeted by the Al Nusrah Front.
Despite a dispute between the emirs of the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the two al Qaeda branches are jointly fighting against their Kurdish enemies.
In a statement released on its Facebook page and Twitter feed, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia denied any involvement in two high-profile assassinations this year. One day earlier, Tunisia’s interior minister accused Ansar al Sharia members and a longtime jihadist of being involved.
Tunisian officials have accused a longtime jihadist, who fought in Iraq, of being involved in two high-profile assassinations. The Tunisian government also alleged that some of the perpetrators “belong to Ansar al Sharia.”
Maulana Asim Umar, a Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda propagandist, is featured in a new message disseminated by As Sahab. Umar calls on Indian Muslims to take part in the “global jihad” and emphasizes the importance of the fight in Syria.
Ansar al Sharia Tunisia has released a DVD honoring Said al Shihri, who was killed in a US drone strike. The group has used social media to honor al Shihri before.
Testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, on al Qaeda, the nature of the group’s central command and its relationship with its affiliates, and the future challenges the West faces in battling the terror organization.
Abu Khalil al Madani, a member of al Qaeda’s shura council, has appeared in his first video since 2008. After the loss of key propagandists in drone strikes in 2012, al Qaeda has begun to feature new leaders in its messaging.
A group calling itself Ansar al Sharia Egypt has announced its formation in the Sinai and has threatened violence in the wake of recent events. It is not clear if the organization is truly a new front, or simply a covert part of an already established group with the same name.
The younger brother of al Qaeda’s emir issued a statement on July 2 saying that a confrontation inside Egypt would favor the country’s jihadists. How Salafi jhadists respond to the ongoing crisis remains to be seen.
Ansar al Sharia Egypt posted a letter in June from Tariq Abu-al-Azm, a former major in the Egyptian air force who is accused of being part of the Nasr City cell. The cell has multiple ties to al Qaeda.
A new al Qaeda video features Hossam Abdul Raouf, the editor of the “Vanguards of Khorasan” magazine. Raouf has long served al Qaeda. In his new speech, Raouf returns to an old theme, criticizing democracy and arguing that sharia law must be implemented.
Online jihadists have once again taken up the cause of Saleh al Qarawi, who is detained inside Saudi Arabia. Al Qarawi previously headed the Abdullah Azzam Brigades and reportedly operated from inside Iran. Earlier this month, the Brigades threatened Iran over its role in the Syrian conflict.
An audio message attributed to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the emir of al Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq, was released online on June 14. In the message, al Baghdadi openly disobeys al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri.
Al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front has released four new messages, the first such productions in two months. The Al Nusrah Front and Islamic State of Iraq suspended their propaganda operations after a dispute erupted in early April. Ayman al Zawahiri ruled on the dispute in a letter and their propaganda operations have now been restarted.
Mohammed al Zawahiri and two of his Egyptian jihadist allies have issued a statement criticizing the Democratic Jihad Party. “Jihad and Democracy are opposites and don’t mix,” they say.
Al Jazeera has published a letter purportedly written by Ayman al Zawahiri to al Qaeda’s franchises in Iraq and Syria. Two US intelligence officials say the letter is genuine. In the letter, Zawahiri rules on a dispute between the two al Qaeda branches and appoints a new representative in the region.
The State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2012 summarizes Iran’s extensive support for terrorists, including al Qaeda and Taliban members. The State Department also recognized Iran’s support for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Mohammed Zawahiri, the brother of al Qaeda’s emir, is one of the 20 Egyptian jihadists who issued a statement calling upon Sunnis to launch attacks in Shiite-led countries in response to the Bashir al Assad regime’s offensive in Qusayr, Syria. Iran and Hezbollah have reportedly joined the fight in Qusayr alongside Assad’s forces.
Agence France Presse interviewed Sami Ben Khemais Essid, describing him as one of the “organizers” of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia’s planned conference this weekend. Essid was formerly the “head” of al Qaeda’s operations in Italy, according to the US State Department.
The Tunisian government has interfered in Ansar al Sharia Tunisia’s events and may refuse to grant the group permission to hold its third annual congress. Ansar al Sharia’s leaders have responded with statements condemning the Ennahda regime.
In a video posted online on April 30, Sheik Kamel Zarouq, a member of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, endorsed al Qaeda’s global jihad.
Egypt’s interior minister said that three members of an al Qaeda cell that was plotting to attack a Western embassy have been arrested. The cell received training in Iran and Pakistan and contacted al Qaeda in Algeria. The cell also has ties to the so-called Nasr City Cell.
Abu Obeida Sharif Khattab, an Egyptian who appeared in at least two videos with Mohammed al Zawahiri, died in an attack along with three other Egyptians in Mali earlier this month. Mohammed al Zawahiri is the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri.
One of the Boston Marathon bombers made a trip to Dagestan and Chechnya last year. US officials are investigating whether or not he made contact with jihadist groups operating in the region. The investigation is ongoing.
A YouTube page that appears to have been created by one of the Boston Marathon bombers contains links to jihadist propaganda. The same suspect reportedly traveled abroad for seven months last year.
Abu Muhammad al Julani, the head of the Al Nusrah Front, has rejected a call by the head of al Qaeda in Iraq to change his organization’s branding. Al Julani also renews his organization’s oath of allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri.