| Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi | |
|---|---|
| عبد الرحمن المغربي | |
 | |
| Born | Mohamed Abattay 1970 or 1975 Marrakesh, Morocco |
| Citizenship | Morocco |
| Alma mater | Hochschule Niederrhein |
| Occupation | Global terrorist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Organization |  Al-Qaeda |
| Spouse | Nabila al-Zawahiri |
| Relatives | Ayman 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. 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.
Though primarily known by a nom de guerre which references his Moroccan birthplace, his given name is Mohamed Abattay (Arabic: محمد أبطاي). 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. As of 2023 his whereabouts are unknown.
Early life and education
Al-Maghrebi was born Mohamed Abattay in Marrakesh, Morocco. 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.
Militant career
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. The group, based in Krefeld, included Christian Ganczarski, who has been charged by the United States for his involvement in the Ghriba synagogue bombing.
In 1999, al-Maghrebi left for Afghanistan, where he trained at the Al Farouq training camp. He was pulled from training by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and was later reassigned to work at al-Qaeda's Media Committee. According to the FBI, al-Maghrebi fled to Iran soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In 2012, he started serving as al-Qaeda's general manager in Afghanistan and Pakistan and ran As-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media branch.
Designations
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. The Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $7 million for information on al-Maghrebi. 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.
Al-Maghrebi is seen as a potential successor to Saif al-Adel as Emir of al-Qaeda.
Personal life
Abattay is married to Ayman al-Zawahiri's daughter, Nabila. Abbatay was reported to be living in the Kabul house where al-Zawahiri was killed in 2022.
See also
References
- ^ "Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi". Rewards for Justice, US Department of State. January 12, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi". FBI. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Décision de la CNASNU n°03/2022, du 07 avril 2022, portant publication de la liste locale" (PDF). CNASNU.
- ^ Yousafzai, Sami (2023-01-07). "Al Qaeda Is Planning to Fake the Death of Its Dead Leader". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- "Al-Qaida: Führender Propagandist studierte in Köln". Der Spiegel (in German). 2006-01-30. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- "War on Terror: Killed Al-Qaida Propaganda Chief Studied in Germany". Der Spiegel. 2006-02-02. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
- Brandt, Klaus (2018-09-10). "Sami A.: Islamistischer Gefährder war Security-Mann in Deutschland". Waz (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ^ "Muhammad Abbatay a.k.a. Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- "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.
- Bunzel, Cole (August 3, 2022). "Al Qaeda's Next Move:What Zawahiri's Death Means For Jihadism". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- Seldin, Jeff (August 2, 2022). "Al-Qaida Succession Plan Being Put to Test". Voice of America. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- Ettaba, Selim Saheb (August 2, 2022). "Al-Qaeda Faces Succession Quandary After Zawahiri Killing". Barrons. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- Mascolo, Georg; Stark, Holger (2006-01-29). "Know-how aus Krefeld". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
