Two articles by al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki are featured in the latest edition of Inspire magazine. The publication also mentions the controversy surrounding the Obama administration’s decision to allow US forces to target Awlaki in Yemen.
The Yemeni government offered a $50,000 reward for Ahmed Abdel Aziz Jasser al Jasser and Turki Mohammad Quleiss al-Shahrani, two al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives. The interior ministry described Jasser and Shahrani as being “among the most dangerous al Qaeda operatives to have committed acts of terrorism and sabotage.”
Saudi officials said they were not informed by the Yemeni government that Saleh al Raymi was a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemeni officials arrested Raymi, a Saudi citizen, after he landed in Sana’a, and accused him of being a financier.
Yemeni Security forces captured Saleh al Raymi, a suspected senior al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula financier, at Sana’a International Airport. Raymi, a Saudi citizen, was traveling from Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni interior ministry offered a $100,000 reward for eight AQAP operatives.
The latest edition of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s Inspire magazine features two former Gitmo detainees. One is an AQAP military commander and the other is AQAP’s deputy leader. Both rely on al Qaeda’s “narrative” in an attempt to woo new recruits in the West.
Abu Hurayrah Qasim al Raymi, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s military commander. In an audiotape yesterday, Qasim al Raymi, military commander for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), announced the formation of the “Aden-Abyan Army.” From AFP: “We are preparing to implement the first steps of the Aden-Abyan Army to defend the nation […]
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula released the second edition of the English-language Inspire magazine. The magazine features American citizens Anwar al Awlaki and Samir Khan; Khan’s article is entitled “I Am Proud to be a Traitor to America.” The magazine provides advice on how to kill Americans.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operatives threatened a terrorism judge and the jury during their trial. “You will meet the same fate as those who plotted against the jihadists,” one AQAP operative told the judge.
NCTC director Michael Leiter testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Leiter’s testimony highlights al Qaeda’s close ties to other jihadist organizations.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed it kidnapped a a senior intelligence official in Saada in August, and demands a prisoner exchange for two of its imprisoned leaders. Yemen forces have cornered Anwar al Awlaki, a senior Saudi al Qaeda operative, and an estimated 25 to 60 fighters in an operation in Huta in […]
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announced the death of Hani Abdu Mosleh Shalan in a US airstrike in Yemen earlier this year. Shalan was described by AQAP as “a field commander.” He had been detained at Guantanamo Bay before being released to Yemen.
Jabir Jubran al Fayfi, a former Gitmo detainee who fought in Afghanistan and Kashmir, has been arrested in Yemen. Along with other former Gitmo detainees, al Fayfi joined al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
A Saudi named Khaled Battarfi is the leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in the Yemeni province of Abyan. Battarfi, who is also known as Abu Miqdad al Kindi, took charge after his predecessor was killed during a March 14. airstrike.
The ACLU asked a federal judge to block the US from killing al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is suspected of attempting to assassinate a brigade commander in Lahj province; two of his bodyguards were wounded in the ambush.
Said al Shihri, an ex-Gitmo detainee who is one of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s most senior leaders, issued an audiotape earlier this month seeking the support of Saudi soldiers and security officers. Al Shihri’s tape echoes the messaging of al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki, who has sought to convince Muslim soldiers to serve al Qaeda.
A former Gitmo detainee who rejoined al Qaeda after being repatriated surrendered to authorities in Yemen.
Mohammed Said al Umdah Gharib al T’aizzi, a senior military commander in southern Yemen, said the government is colluding with the US and will suffer for doing so.
Mohammed Said al Umdah Gharib al T’aizzi, a commander in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, claimed the terror group has raised a 12,000-man army. “By this army, we will establish an Islamic Caliphate,” T’aizzi said. “This is a message to the Yemeni government security and the National Security Service: our swords are ready and […]
Samir Khan, an American citizen and known cyber-jihadist who left the US for Yemen last year, is thought to be the editor of al Qaeda’s English-language Inspire magazine. Khan ran the pro-al Qaeda Inshallahshaheed website.
The US Treasury designated American-born Muslim cleric Anwar al Awlaki as a terrorist for his involvement in several terror attacks. “He has involved himself in every aspect of the supply chain of terrorism — fundraising for terrorist groups, recruiting and training operatives, and planning and ordering attacks on innocents,” the Treasury stated.
Awlaki “has involved himself in every aspect of the supply chain of terrorism — fundraising for terrorist groups, recruiting and training operatives, and planning and ordering attacks on innocents.”
“Inspire,” a magazine reportedly published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, is thought by some experts to be a fake. The 67 page web magazine is poorly written and a Trojan virus has infected 64 of the 67 pages.
US-born al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula cleric Anwar al Awlaki is not on an assassination list even though he “has declared war” on the US, said CIA Director Leon Panetta. “Everything he’s doing now is to try to encourage others to attack this country,” Panetta said.
Although the Saudi government has not identified the 25 terrorists released from Guantanamo Bay who are known to have returned to jihad, 15 of them can be identified.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula called for tribes in Marib province to fight the government and threatened to retaliate for airstrikes against its members. “Allah willing, we will light up the ground with fire under the tyrants of infidelity in the regime of [President] Ali Saleh and his helpers, the agents of America,” the […]
Amnesty International showed photographs of the remains of a US-made cruise missile and cluster munitions that were used in the Dec. 17, 2009, airstrike in Abyan province.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula disclosed the identity of a top female operative detained in Saudi Arabia in February. Haylah al Qassir served as a top financier of AQAP and also sheltered fighters. Her first husband is in Saudi custody and her second died fighting Saudi security forces.
Said al Shihri, the deputy leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, called for followers to kidnap Christians and members of the Saudi royal family. Shihri is a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay.
The family of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader Nayif al Qahtani said they do not believe he is dead and denied that he is a senior al Qaeda leader. Qahtani, a Saudi, was designated a terrorist by the US State Department and wasdescribed as a liaison between al Qaeda cells in Saudi Arabia […]
Othman Ahmed al Ghamdi, a former Guantanamo detainee, has been appointed as a senior operations commander of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. AQAP confirmed that low-level commanders Abdullah al Muhdar, Mohammed Amir al Awlaki, and Mohammed Saleh al Kazimi, were killed in airstrikes over the past six months.