Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah
Encyclopedia
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah is an Egypt
ian national wanted by the United States
for his part in the 1998 American embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam
, Tanzania
and especially Nairobi
, Kenya
. The FBI
lists his aliases Abu Mariam, Abu Mohamed Al-Masri, and Saleh, which may be an abbreviation of Saleh Gamal.
According to the indictment, Abdullah
in 1963. Like other Islamic fugitives, Abdullah fled to Egypt to join the others. In 1992 he was one of the many who helped Saif al-Adel
in providing intelligence and military training to those associated with Al Qaeda in Somalia
and Sudan
. Those who were trained, were among the group who fought against the Americans during the battle on Mogadishu
and Operation Restoring Hope in 1993. Also between 1996 and 1998 he operated training camps in Afghanistan
for Al Qaeda. Abdulla was responsible for forging a passport for Mohammed Saddiq Odeh so he could get from Pakistan to Afghanistan before the attack on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. After these attacks Abdulla Ahmed Abdullah has remained on the USA's most wanted list of terrorists and remains a terrorists operations planner for Al Qaeda.
Abdullah told colleagues he had been a professional soccer player for the Ghazl El-Mehalla team in Egypt.
or Pakistan
. Later speculation put him in Iran under the protection of the Quds Force, and in Somalia under the protection of the Islamic Courts Union. A more substantial report, citing unnamed UN
and other sources, says that Abdullah and other al-Qaeda personnel were in Liberia
around 2001, buying conflict diamonds on behalf of al-Qaeda. But another claim about Iran has appeared; the MIPT
record on Abdullah reads in part
He is married to Mariam, the daughter of Ahmad Salama Mabruk
.
Abdullah was one of the 22 original members, and is still a member, of the FBI's list of Most Wanted Terrorists
. The State Department
, through the Rewards for Justice Program
, is offering up to US$5 million for information on the location of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian national wanted by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for his part in the 1998 American embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and especially Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
lists his aliases Abu Mariam, Abu Mohamed Al-Masri, and Saleh, which may be an abbreviation of Saleh Gamal.
According to the indictment, Abdullah
- was a member of the majlis al shura of al-QaedaAl-QaedaAl-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
- helped (with Saif al-AdelSaif al-AdelSaif al-Adel is an Egyptian explosives expert and a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda.Adel is under indictment for his part in the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Africa...
) to set up terrorist training facilities in SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory... - provided a false passport to Mohammed Saddiq OdehMohammed OdehA Palestinian, Mohammed Saddiq Odeh is one of the four former al-Qaeda members sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for their parts in the 1998 United States embassy bombings. He is in a supermax prison known as ADX Florence....
to enable the latter to travel to AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to meet Osama bin LadenOsama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets... - told Odeh that he should leave Kenya by August 6, 1998 (the day before the bombings)
- fled Kenya himself, to KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, on the same airliner as Ahmed Khalfan GhailaniAhmed Khalfan GhailaniAhmed Khalfan Ghailani is a conspirator of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization convicted for his role in the bombing of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He was indicted in the United States as a participant in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings. He was on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list from its...
.
Life
Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah was born in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1963. Like other Islamic fugitives, Abdullah fled to Egypt to join the others. In 1992 he was one of the many who helped Saif al-Adel
Saif al-Adel
Saif al-Adel is an Egyptian explosives expert and a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda.Adel is under indictment for his part in the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Africa...
in providing intelligence and military training to those associated with Al Qaeda in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Those who were trained, were among the group who fought against the Americans during the battle on Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
and Operation Restoring Hope in 1993. Also between 1996 and 1998 he operated training camps in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
for Al Qaeda. Abdulla was responsible for forging a passport for Mohammed Saddiq Odeh so he could get from Pakistan to Afghanistan before the attack on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. After these attacks Abdulla Ahmed Abdullah has remained on the USA's most wanted list of terrorists and remains a terrorists operations planner for Al Qaeda.
Abdullah told colleagues he had been a professional soccer player for the Ghazl El-Mehalla team in Egypt.
Later life
Abdullah's location since he fled Nairobi has been unknown. In the few years after his disappearance, he was generally thought to be in tribal AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
or Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Later speculation put him in Iran under the protection of the Quds Force, and in Somalia under the protection of the Islamic Courts Union. A more substantial report, citing unnamed UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and other sources, says that Abdullah and other al-Qaeda personnel were in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
around 2001, buying conflict diamonds on behalf of al-Qaeda. But another claim about Iran has appeared; the MIPT
National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
The National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism is a United States-based non-profit training and professional development center dedicated to improving the skills of police officers.-Role and focus:...
record on Abdullah reads in part
A joint Saudi-Egyptian-Jordanian intelligence inquiry in April 2006 concluded that Abdullah currently resides in Southeast Iran, under the protection of the Hamze unit of the Revolutionary Guards.
He is married to Mariam, the daughter of Ahmad Salama Mabruk
Ahmad Salama Mabruk
Ahmad Salam Mabruk was the alleged leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad's Azeri cell. He was one of 14 people subjected to extraordinary rendition by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror.-Life:...
.
Abdullah was one of the 22 original members, and is still a member, of the FBI's list of Most Wanted Terrorists
FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists is a list of fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal grand juries in the United States district courts, for alleged crimes of terrorism. The initial list was formed in late 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...
. The State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, through the Rewards for Justice Program
Rewards For Justice Program
The Rewards for Justice Program is the counterterrorism rewards program of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service . The Secretary of State is currently offering rewards for information that prevents or favorably resolves acts of international terrorism against U.S. persons or...
, is offering up to US$5 million for information on the location of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah.