Khalil al-Deek
Encyclopedia
Khalil Said al-Deek – aka Joseph Adams after 1996 was a dual US-Jordanian citizen who came to USA to study computer science.
He became a naturalized US citizen living in Los Angeles
, California
where he worked as computer engineer and Charity Without Borders staffer, where it is now believed that Adam Yahiye Gadahn
worked around that same time in 1997. The Charity was discovered to be an Al-Qaida organization used to funnel money overseas and wasn't shut down until after September 11, 2001. Hisham Diab was running this organization at the time and it was confirmed by his ex-wife Saraah Olson that Hisham and Khalil Said al-Deek recruited Adam Yahiye Gadahn and transformed him into an American-hating fanatic. This was also confirmed by the imam Haitham Bundakji
of the Islamic Society of Orange County who described Hisham and members of his cell as "disruptive troublemakers" and places blame on himself for not reaching out to Gadahn.
Carrying a US passport, he moved to Peshawar
, Pakistan
, where he is believed to have met several times with Osama bin Laden
. He was arrested on December 17, 1999 in Peshawar and extradited to Jordan
for conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in Jordan
.
CNN
reports that al-Deek is described as the leader of his group.
One report claimed
Al-Deek and 27 others were indicted, in Jordan on March 29, 2000.
The International Counter-Terrorism blog reported that Al-Deek was indicted in absentia
and had already been extradited. The San Diego Union Tribune reported that Jordan held Al-Deek for 17 months before releasing him without charge.
Judith Miller
, then of the New York Times, reported that al-Deek had business ties to Abu Zubaydah
.
Miller reported that al-Deek and Abu Zubaydah exported specialty honey, a traditionally high-valued product, and sent a portion of the profits to Osama bin Laden
, and al Qaeda. Miller reported that the shipment of honey was used to mask the shipment of weapons.
Tim Golden
, of the New York Times, reported that an unnamed American intelligence official suspected al-Deek collaborated with Moazzam Begg
on a CDROM version of an
"Encyclopedia of Jihad".
The official claimed al-Deek gave a copy of this CDROM to two suspected Jordanian terrorists. Khalil al-Deek was reportedly killed in Pakistan in April 2005, he had been living in the Peshawar with his wife; who was expecting their fifth child. It is unclear how his death occurred but it has been rumored he was killed by Al-Qaida for cooperating with Jordanian authorities, however it is also likely he was killed by Pakistani forces in a raid. There are still many questions about Khalil al-Deek, and exactly what is association and position was with the Al-Qaida terrorist organization, but it is clear he had close ties with Al-Qaida leadership; at one time even sharing a bank account with Abu Zubaydah
. It is possible that his original arrest in Jordan and the information obtained from his laptop led to a series of important arrests in the war on terror, from Abu Zubaydah
to Khalid Sheik Muhammed and possibly many more.
He became a naturalized US citizen living in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he worked as computer engineer and Charity Without Borders staffer, where it is now believed that Adam Yahiye Gadahn
Adam Yahiye Gadahn
Adam Yahiye Gadahn is an American who is a senior operative, cultural interpreter, spokesman and media advisor for the Sunni islamist group Al-Qaeda. Since 2004, he appeared in a number of videos produced by Al-Qaeda as "Azzam the American"...
worked around that same time in 1997. The Charity was discovered to be an Al-Qaida organization used to funnel money overseas and wasn't shut down until after September 11, 2001. Hisham Diab was running this organization at the time and it was confirmed by his ex-wife Saraah Olson that Hisham and Khalil Said al-Deek recruited Adam Yahiye Gadahn and transformed him into an American-hating fanatic. This was also confirmed by the imam Haitham Bundakji
Haitham Bundakji
Haitham Bundakji was President of the Islamic Society of Orange County, the largest Muslim organization in the western United States, located in Garden Grove, California. Among the members of his mosque in 1997 were Adam Yahiye Gadahn and Joseph Adams, who he initially helped teach...
of the Islamic Society of Orange County who described Hisham and members of his cell as "disruptive troublemakers" and places blame on himself for not reaching out to Gadahn.
Carrying a US passport, he moved to Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, 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...
, where he is believed to have met several times with Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama 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...
. He was arrested on December 17, 1999 in Peshawar and extradited to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
for conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reports that al-Deek is described as the leader of his group.
One report claimed
Al-Deek and 27 others were indicted, in Jordan on March 29, 2000.
The International Counter-Terrorism blog reported that Al-Deek was indicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
and had already been extradited. The San Diego Union Tribune reported that Jordan held Al-Deek for 17 months before releasing him without charge.
Judith Miller
Judith Miller (journalist)
Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, formerly of the New York Times Washington bureau. Her coverage of Iraq's alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction program both before and after the 2003 invasion generated much controversy...
, then of the New York Times, reported that al-Deek had business ties to Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
.
Miller reported that al-Deek and Abu Zubaydah exported specialty honey, a traditionally high-valued product, and sent a portion of the profits to Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama 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...
, and al Qaeda. Miller reported that the shipment of honey was used to mask the shipment of weapons.
Tim Golden
Tim Golden
Tim Golden is a Republican member of the Georgia State Senate, representing the 8th District since 1998. He was previously the Democratic Minority Caucus Chairman...
, of the New York Times, reported that an unnamed American intelligence official suspected al-Deek collaborated with Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
on a CDROM version of an
"Encyclopedia of Jihad".
The official claimed al-Deek gave a copy of this CDROM to two suspected Jordanian terrorists. Khalil al-Deek was reportedly killed in Pakistan in April 2005, he had been living in the Peshawar with his wife; who was expecting their fifth child. It is unclear how his death occurred but it has been rumored he was killed by Al-Qaida for cooperating with Jordanian authorities, however it is also likely he was killed by Pakistani forces in a raid. There are still many questions about Khalil al-Deek, and exactly what is association and position was with the Al-Qaida terrorist organization, but it is clear he had close ties with Al-Qaida leadership; at one time even sharing a bank account with Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
. It is possible that his original arrest in Jordan and the information obtained from his laptop led to a series of important arrests in the war on terror, from Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
to Khalid Sheik Muhammed and possibly many more.