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Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi

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Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi
عبد الرحمن المغربي
Born
Mohamed Abattay

1970 or 1975[1]
Marrakesh, Morocco
CitizenshipMorocco
Alma materHochschule Niederrhein
OccupationGlobal terrorist
Years active1999–present
Organization Al-Qaeda
SpouseNabila al-Zawahiri
RelativesAyman al-Zawahiri (father-in-law)

Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi (Arabic: عبد الرحمن المغربي, born 1970 or 1975) is a Moroccan-born terrorist and senior member of Al-Qaeda (AQ) who leads the organization's External Communications Office, including As-Sahab Media.[2][1] He is the son-in-law of the group's late emir Ayman al-Zawahiri, and is seen as a potential successor to Saif al-Adel as leader of the terror group.[3][4]

Though primarily known by a nom de guerre which references his Moroccan birthplace in the Maghreb, his given name is Mohamed Abattay (Arabic: محمد أبطاي).[5] After his radicalization in the late 1990s, al-Maghrebi abandoned his schooling in Germany and departed for the infamous Al Farouq training camp outside Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was hand-picked by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for work in the groups propaganda arm.

Following the September 11 attacks, al-Maghrebi is believed to have quickly fled to Iran. He subsequently rose through the ranks of Al-Qaeda, gaining trust, and winning the hand of Zawahiri's daughter in marriage. By 2012, al-Maghrebi had become al-Qaeda's general manager for all of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US moved to designate al-Maghrebi a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in early 2021. After the Taliban's return to power in August of that year, al-Maghrebi was believed to have been living together with Zawahiri in the same house in downtown Kabul where Zawahiri would later be killed in a U.S. drone strike.[6] As of 2023 his whereabouts are unknown.

Early life and education

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Al-Maghrebi was born Mohamed Abattay in Marrakesh, Morocco.[2] He left Morocco for Germany in 1996, where he studied computer programming and electrical engineering in Cologne at the Hochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences.[4][7]

Militant career

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While studying in Germany, al-Maghrebi joined a group of Muslim students that grew increasingly radical and that later pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden.[8] The group, based in Krefeld, included Christian Ganczarski, who has been charged by the United States for his involvement in the Ghriba synagogue bombing.[9]

In 1999, al-Maghrebi left for Afghanistan, where he trained at the Al Farouq training camp.[4] He was pulled from training by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and was later reassigned to work at al-Qaeda's Media Committee.[10] According to the FBI, al-Maghrebi fled to Iran soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.[2][3]

In 2012, he started serving as al-Qaeda's general manager in Afghanistan and Pakistan and ran As-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media branch.[10]

Designations

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On January 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Maghrebi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added him to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.[10] The Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $7 million for information on al-Maghrebi.[1] On April 7, 2022, he was designated as a terrorist entity by the Moroccan Ministry of Justice, who claimed that he was living in Iran.[5][11]

Al-Maghrebi is seen as a potential successor to Saif al-Adel as Emir of al-Qaeda.[12][13][14]

Personal life

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Abattay is married to Ayman al-Zawahiri's daughter, Nabila.[15] Abbatay was reported to be living in the Kabul house where al-Zawahiri was killed in 2022.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi". Rewards for Justice, US Department of State. January 12, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi". FBI. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Bell, Jennifer (August 3, 2022). "After the killing of al-Zawahri, here is the FBI's list of most wanted extremists". Al Arabiya. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Gunaratna, Rohan; Nielsen, Anders (2008-09-10). "Al Qaeda in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and Beyond". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 31 (9): 775–807. doi:10.1080/10576100802291568. ISSN 1057-610X. S2CID 110159420.
  5. ^ a b "Décision de la CNASNU n°03/2022, du 07 avril 2022, portant publication de la liste locale" (PDF). CNASNU.
  6. ^ a b Yousafzai, Sami (2023-01-07). "Al Qaeda Is Planning to Fake the Death of Its Dead Leader". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  7. ^ "Al-Qaida: Führender Propagandist studierte in Köln". Der Spiegel (in German). 2006-01-30. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  8. ^ "War on Terror: Killed Al-Qaida Propaganda Chief Studied in Germany". Der Spiegel. 2006-02-02. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  9. ^ Brandt, Klaus (2018-09-10). "Sami A.: Islamistischer Gefährder war Security-Mann in Deutschland". Waz (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  10. ^ a b c "Muhammad Abbatay a.k.a. Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  11. ^ "Documents: voici la nouvelle liste des individus et des entités classés terroristes par le Maroc, H24info". H24info (in French). 12 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  12. ^ Bunzel, Cole (August 3, 2022). "Al Qaeda's Next Move:What Zawahiri's Death Means For Jihadism". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Seldin, Jeff (August 2, 2022). "Al-Qaida Succession Plan Being Put to Test". Voice of America. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Ettaba, Selim Saheb (August 2, 2022). "Al-Qaeda Faces Succession Quandary After Zawahiri Killing". Barrons. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  15. ^ Mascolo, Georg; Stark, Holger (2006-01-29). "Know-how aus Krefeld". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
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