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Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi
Moroccan al-Qaeda member From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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, 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.
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Early life and education
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
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]
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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.[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
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
References
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