Abu Ubaidah al-Masri
Encyclopedia
Abu Ubaida al-Masri (died December 2007) was an al-Qaeda
operative in Pakistan
. Al-Masri has been implicated in the 2006 Transatlantic Aircraft Plot
, which was to be carried out by a terrorist cell
operating in London, but which was orchestrated by al-Qaeda's central leadership.
Al-Masri is Egypt
ian (the epithet
literally means 'the Egyptian') but he received combat experience, and terrorist and insurgent training in Afghanistan
, Bosnia and Chechnya
.
Until recently al-Masri was thought to be a provincial al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, but according to The New York Times
, "[al-Masri] emerged as one of Al Qaeda's senior operatives after the death of Abu Hamza Rabia
, another Egyptian who was killed by a missile strike in Pakistan in 2005."
The information about al-Masri's ascendency through the al-Qaeda leadership allegedly came from interrogations of al-Qaeda operatives captured in Pakistan. Al-Masri is suspected of helping recruit and train operatives who carried out the 7 July 2005 London Bombings
. According to American intelligence officials, he is also suspected of involvement in the foiled plan to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean in 2006.
Al-Masri lived in Germany before going to Afghanistan to join the Mujahadeen. After Afghanistan, he returned to Germany to begin building a network in Europe.
In 2006, two attempts were made by coalition forces to kill him.
reportedly of natural causes, probably due to hepatitis
. Al-Masri was between 40 and 50 years old.
Al-Qaeda
Al-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...
operative in 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...
. Al-Masri has been implicated in the 2006 Transatlantic Aircraft Plot
2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada...
, which was to be carried out by a terrorist cell
Clandestine cell system
A clandestine cell structure is a method for organizing a group of people in such a way that it can more effectively resist penetration by an opposing organization. Depending on the group's philosophy, its operational area, the communications technologies available, and the nature of the mission,...
operating in London, but which was orchestrated by al-Qaeda's central leadership.
Al-Masri is Egypt
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 (the epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
literally means 'the Egyptian') but he received combat experience, and terrorist and insurgent training 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...
, Bosnia and Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
.
Until recently al-Masri was thought to be a provincial al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan, but according to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "[al-Masri] emerged as one of Al Qaeda's senior operatives after the death of Abu Hamza Rabia
Abu Hamza Rabia
Abu Hamza Rabia was an Egyptian member of al-Qaeda, described in news accounts as a high-ranking leader within the organization's hierarchy. His death, in a surprise drone attack, was widely reported by media outlets around the world.According to American intelligence officials, Rabia was...
, another Egyptian who was killed by a missile strike in Pakistan in 2005."
The information about al-Masri's ascendency through the al-Qaeda leadership allegedly came from interrogations of al-Qaeda operatives captured in Pakistan. Al-Masri is suspected of helping recruit and train operatives who carried out the 7 July 2005 London Bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
. According to American intelligence officials, he is also suspected of involvement in the foiled plan to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean in 2006.
Al-Masri lived in Germany before going to Afghanistan to join the Mujahadeen. After Afghanistan, he returned to Germany to begin building a network in Europe.
In 2006, two attempts were made by coalition forces to kill him.
Reports of death
According to U.S. government counterterrorism sources, al-Masri is believed to have died in December 2007, in Pakistan's tribal regionFederally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
reportedly of natural causes, probably due to hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
. Al-Masri was between 40 and 50 years old.
- Terrorism Experts Predict Long Hunt for Bin Laden VOA April 9, 2008