Mahfouz Ould al-Walid
Mahfouz Ould al-Walid محفوظ ولد الوالد | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | January 1, 1975
Nationality | Mauritanian |
Other names | Abu Hafs al-Mauritani Khalid al-Shanqiti Mafouz Walad al-Walid[2] |
Known for | Islamic scholar and poet affiliated with al-Qaeda until the September 11, 2001 attacks. |
Mahfouz Ould al-Walid (
Along with Saeed al-Masri and Saif al-Adel, al-Walid opposed the September 11 attacks two months prior to their execution.[6][7]: 18 [8] Under interrogation, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said that al-Walid had opposed any large-scale attack against the United States and wrote bin Laden a stern letter warning against any such action, quoting the Quran.[6]
Al-Walid fled from Afghanistan to Iran after the American invasion and was held there under house arrest from 2003 until April 2012.[9][10] At that time, Iran extradited him to Mauritania, where he was held in prison until his release on July 7, 2012. He was released after renouncing his ties to al-Qaeda and condemning the September 11 attacks.[10][11]
Life
The publisher of the magazine Al-Talib (The Student), al-Walid wrote poetry that attracted the attention of
It was later suggested that he had traveled to Iraq in early 1998 in an attempt to meet with Saddam Hussein, but was turned away as the leader did not want to create problems for his country.[13]
Later in 1998, the United States learned al-Walid was staying in Room 13 at the Dana Hotel in Khartoum, and President Bill Clinton sought to have him killed or preferably renditioned to a friendly country for interrogation. When a plan was finally made to capture him using another country's officials, he had already left Sudan.[14][15]
In 1998, Germany began monitoring
In mid-2000, al-Walid was approached by Ahmed al-Nami and Mushabib al-Hamlan who asked him about becoming suicide operatives.[19]
Ayman al-Zawahiri has credited al-Walid's book Islamic Action Between the Motives of Unit and the Advocates of Conflict as being one of the driving forces behind convincing al-Qaeda to merge with Egyptian Islamic Jihad in June 2001.[3]
War on Terror
It is believed that the
The United States accused him of entering Iraq again in an attempt to get Hussein to negotiate but stated that he was rebuffed on the same terms as his first visit.[13] He was reported killed twice, the second time following a January 8, 2002 airstrike in Zawar Kili, outside of Khost.[22][23]
When
Zawahiri continued to speak positively of the role al-Walid played in encouraging Pan-Islamic peace and cooperation.[3]
Libyan Islamist
In the 2008 Chilean book El Norte de Africa en la Intriga de al Qaeda, author Carlos Saldivia suggested that al-Walid was involved in the 2003 Casablanca bombings.[26]
References
- ^ "Global Terrorism (SDGT) Designation Update".
- ^ a b "OFAC Sanctions Matrix from BankersOnline.com". Office of Foreign Assets Control. October 3, 2001. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c d al-Zawahiri, Ayman (March 2, 2008). A Treatise Exonerating the Nation of the Pen and the Sword from the Blemish of the Accusation of Weakness and Fatigue (PDF).
- ^ "Former al-Qaeda mufti: I condemn ISIL attacks". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (April 10, 2011). "Al Qaeda fighter properly detained at Gitmo, court finds". Long War Journal. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ a b 9/11 Commission (July 22, 2004). "9/11 Commission Report" (PDF). pp. 251–252. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Brown, Vahid (January 2, 2007). "Cracks in the Foundation: Leadership Schisms in al-Qa'ida from 1989-2006". Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^ "Former Al-Qaeda leader interviewed on group's affairs, September attacks". BBC Monitoring Middle East. October 18, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ^ Windrem, Robert (June 24, 2005). "Al-Qaida finds safe haven in Iran". NBC News. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Benson, Pam (July 10, 2012). "Osama bin Laden confidant released from prison". CNN Security Clearance. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
- ^ "Al Qaeda leader Abu Hafs al-Mauritani freed in Mauritania". CBS News. July 9, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ IntelCenter, "Know Thy Enemy", DVD Series, volume 28
- ^ Senate Intelligence Committee, 109th Congress, "Senate Report of Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq", p. 73-75
- ^ Miller, Judith (December 30, 2001). "A NATION CHALLENGED: THE RESPONSE; Planning for Terror but Failing to Act". New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2015. Al-Walid called by his kunya, Abu Hafs.
- ISBN 978-0743260459.
- ^ "From Germany to Guantanamo: The Career of Prisoner No. 760". Der Spiegel. 2008-10-09. Archived from the original on 2014-08-13. Retrieved 2014-08-29.
- ^ a b Department of Defense, "Administrative Review Board Hearing for Mohamedou Ould Slahi", p. 184-216
- ^ "Security Council committee approves amendment to identifying information of one individual on Consolidated List". United Nations. June 4, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^ 9/11 Commission Report, July 22, 2004
- ^ Finn, Peter (August 28, 2002). "Al Qaeda finds safety in Iran, say Arab spies / Leaders, fighters living in hotels, they say". SF Gate. Washington Post. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ^ Bergen, Peter L. (3 August 2021). The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden: The Biography. Simon & Schuster. p. 141.
- ^ Shahzad, Syed Saleem (August 31, 2002). "Al-Qaeda Tales: The North African Connection". Asia Times. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Vider, Manuel. "Understanding Terror", p. 15
- ^ Bergen, Peter. "The Osama bin Laden I know", 2006. p. 359-422
- ^ Tawil, Camille (September 23, 2010). "Noman Benotman criticises al-Qaeda in bin Laden letter". Magharebia. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
- ^ Saldivia, Carlos. "El Norte de Africa en la Intriga de Al Qaeda", 2008. p. 207.
External links
- "Former Al-Qaeda leader interviewed on group's affairs, September attacks". Biyokulule Online. Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic. October 18, 2012.