| Musaad Aruchi | Musaad Aruchi | Lashkar-e-Jhangvi | Afghanistan/South Asia | 20040615 | Link | |||
| Musaad Aruchi | al-Qaeda | Afghanistan/South Asia | 20040614 | Link |
| Terror Networks |
| Flashback: Major al Qaeda leaders killed or captured |
| 2008-02-01 |
| Reuters) - Abu Laith al-Libi, one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants who commanded militant forces in Afghanistan, has been killed, U.S. officials and an al Qaeda-linked Web site have said. The following is a list of major al Qaeda figures killed or captured since 2001: Drum roll, if you please. AFGHANISTAN: * Mohammed Atef, one of the top leaders of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, was killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan in November 2001. ALGERIA: * Hareg Zoheir, the deputy chief of al Qaeda's North Africa wing, was killed along with two other rebels in a gun battle with Algerian troops in October 2007. IRAQ: * Humadi al-Takhi, a district commander of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed by Iraqi and U.S. forces in April 2006. * Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, was killed in a U.S. air raid in June 2006. * U.S. forces killed Muhammed Abdullah Abbas al-Issawi, described as a security emir for al Qaeda in Iraq in April 2007. * The U.S. military killed Muharib Abdul Latif al-Jubouri, an al-Qaeda figure accused of involvement in the kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll, in May 2007. PAKISTAN: * Saudi-born Palestinian Abu Zubaydah was arrested after a shootout in the central Pakistani city of Faisalabad in March 2002. Zubaydah was operations director for al Qaeda and the first high-ranking member to be arrested. * Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni national and one-time roommate of Mohammed Atta, suspected ringleader of the September 11 hijackers, was captured in Karachi in September 2002. * Security forces arrested Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al Qaeda's number three and alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, in a raid in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, in March 2003. * Musaad Aruchi, a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed with a $1 million bounty on his head, was arrested in Karachi in June 2004. * Tanzanian Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was arrested in the city of Gujrat in July 2004. * Pakistani intelligence agencies and security forces arrested Abu Faraj Farj al-Liby, mastermind of two failed attempts on President Pervez Musharraf's life, in May 2005. * Abu Hamza Rabia, an al Qaeda commander ranked the third most senior leader in Osama bin Laden's network, was killed in a tribal region of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan in December 2005. * Muhsin Musa Matwalli Atwah (also known as Abdul Rehman), an Egyptian al Qaeda member wanted for involvement in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Kenya, was killed by Pakistani forces close to the Afghan border in April 2006. SAUDI ARABIA: * Youssef al-Eiery, the leading al Qaeda militant in Saudi Arabia who was believed to be behind the May 2003 suicide bombings in Riyadh which killed at least 35 people, was shot dead by Saudi police shortly after the attacks. Several of Eiery's successors, including Khaled Ali Haj, Abdulaziz al-Muqrin and Saleh al-Awfi were killed by Saudi security forces over the next two years YEMEN: * Yemeni security forces shot dead Yasser al-Homeiqani, an al Qaeda fugitive, in southern Yemen in January 2007. Of course, if US forces didn't hang a toe-tag on them personnaly, they have been known to rise from the dead. |
| Link |
| Terror Networks |
| Human Rights Watch's list of "ghost prisoners" |
| 2005-12-02 |
| Take a good, long look at the people on this list and you can decide for yourself whether or not you have any problems with this. I sure don't. 1. Ibn Al-Shaykh al-Libi Reportedly arrested on November 11, 2001, Pakistan. Libyan, suspected commander at al-Qaeda training camp. 2. Abu Faisal Reportedly arrested on December 12, 2001 3. Abdul Aziz Reportedly arrested on December 14, 2001 Nationality unknown. In early January 2002, Kenton Keith, a spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, produced a chart with the names of senior al-Qaeda members listed as killed in action, detained, or on the run. Faisal and Aziz were listed as detained on Dec. 12 and 14, 2001. 4. Abu Zubaydah (also known as Zain al-Abidin Muhahhad Husain) Reportedly arrested in March 2002, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Palestinian (born in Saudi Arabia), suspected senior al-Qaeda operational planner. 5. Abdul Rahim al-Sharqawi (aka Riyadh the facilitator) Reportedly arrested in January 2002 Possibly Yemeni, suspected al-Qaeda member (possibly transferred to Guantanamo). 6. Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi Reportedly arrested in January 2002 Nationality unknown, presumably Iraqi, suspected commander of al-Qaeda training camp. U.S. officials told Associated Press on January 8, 2002 and March 30, 2002, of al-Iraqi's capture. This is a different Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi who was placed in command of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan yesterday (who had previously been in command of Brigade 055 rather than a training camp), for those keeping score. 7. Muhammed al-Darbi Reportedly arrested in August 2002 Yemeni, suspected al-Qaeda member. The Washington Post reported on October 18, 2002: "U.S. officials learned from interviews with Muhammad Darbi, an al Qaeda member captured in Yemen in August, that a Yemen cell was planning an attack on a Western oil tanker, sources said." On December 26, 2002, citing "U.S. intelligence and national security officials," the Washington Post reports that al-Darbi, as well as Ramzi Binalshibh [see below], Omar al-Faruq [reportedly escaped from U.S. custody in July 2005], and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri [see below] all "remain under CIA control." 8. Ramzi bin al-Shibh Reportedly arrested on September 13, 2002 Yemeni, suspected al-Qaeda conspirator in Sept. 11 attacks (former roommate of one of the hijackers). 9. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri (or Abdulrahim Mohammad Abda al-Nasheri, aka Abu Bilal al-Makki or Mullah Ahmad Belal) Reportedly arrested in November 2002, United Arab Emirates. Saudi or Yemeni, suspected al-Qaeda chief of operations in the Persian Gulf, and suspected planner of the USS Cole bombing, and attack on the French oil tanker, Limburg. 10. Mohammed Omar Abdel-Rahman (aka Asadullah) Reportedly arrested in February 2003, Quetta, Pakistan. Egyptian, son of the Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted in the United States of involvement in terrorist plots in New York. See Agence France Presse, March 4, 2003: "Pakistani and US agents captured the son of blind Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel Rahman. . . a US official said Tuesday. Muhamad Abdel Rahman was arrested in Quetta, Pakistan, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity." David Johnston, New York Times, March 4, 2003: "On Feb. 13, when Pakistani authorities raided an apartment in Quetta, they got the break they needed. They had hoped to find Mr. [Khalid Sheikh] Mohammed, but he had fled the apartment, eluding the authorities, as he had on numerous occasions. Instead, they found and arrested Muhammad Abdel Rahman, a son of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind Egyptian cleric. . ." 11. Mustafa al-Hawsawi (aka al-Hisawi) Reportedly arrested on March 1, 2003 (together with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad), Pakistan. Saudi, suspected al-Qaeda financier. 12. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Reportedly arrested on March 1, 2003, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Kuwaiti (Pakistani parents), suspected al-Qaeda, alleged to have "masterminded" Sept. 11 attacks, killing of Daniel Pearl, and USS Cole attack in 2000. 13. Majid Khan Reportedly arrested on March-April 2003, Pakistan. Pakistani, alleged link to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, alleged involvement in plot to blow up gas stations in the United States. Details about Khan's arrest were revealed in several media reports, especially in Newsweek: Evan Thomas, "Al Qaeda in America: The Enemy Within," Newsweek, June 23, 2003. U.S. prosecutors provided evidence that Majid Khan was in U.S. custody during the trial of 24-year-old Uzair Paracha, who was convicted in November 2005 of conspiracy charges, and of providing material support to terrorist organizations. 14. Yassir al-Jazeeri (aka al-Jaziri) Reportedly arrested on March 15, 2003, Pakistan. Possibly Moroccan, Algerian, or Palestinian, suspected al-Qaeda member, linked to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. 15. Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (aka Ammar al Baluchi) Reportedly arrested on April 29, 2003, Karachi, Pakistan. A Pakistani, he is alleged to have funneled money to September 11 hijackers, and alleged to have been involved with the Jakarta Marriot bombing and in handling Jose Padilla's travel to the United States. U.S. Judge Sidney Stein ruled that defense attorneys for Uzair Paracha could introduce statements Baluchi made to U.S. interrogators, proving that he was in U.S. custody. Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey also mentioned Baluchi during remarks to the media about the case of Jose Padilla on June 1, 2004 16. Waleed Mohammed bin Attash (aka Tawfiq bin Attash or Tawfiq Attash Khallad) Reportedly arrested on April 29, 2003, Karachi, Pakistan. Saudi (of Yemeni descent), suspected of involvement in the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, and the Sept. 11 attacks. See Afzal Nadeem, "Pakistan Arrests Six Terror Suspects, including Planner of Sept. 11 and USS Cole Bombing," Associated Press, April 30, 2003. His brother, Hassan Bin Attash, is currently held in Guantanamo. 17. Adil al-Jazeeri Reportedly arrested on June 17, 2003 outside Peshawar, Pakistan. Algerian, suspected al-Qaeda and longtime resident of Afghanistan, alleged "leading member" and "longtime aide to bin Laden." (Possibly transferred to Guantanamo.) 18. Hambali (aka Riduan Isamuddin) Reportedly arrested on August 11, 2003, Thailand. Indonesian, involved in Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaeda, alleged involvement in organizing and financing the Bali nightclub bombings, the Jakarta Marriot Hotel bombing, and preparations for the September 11 attacks. 19. Mohamad Nazir bin Lep (aka Lillie, or Li-Li) Reportedly arrested in August 2003, Bangkok, Thailand. Malaysian, alleged link to Hambali. 20. Mohamad Farik Amin (aka Zubair) Reportedly arrested in June 2003, Thailand. Malaysian, alleged link to Hambali. 21. Tariq Mahmood Reportedly arrested in October 2003, Islamabad, Pakistan. Dual British and Pakistani nationality, alleged to have ties to al-Qaeda. 22. Hassan Ghul Reportedly arrested on January 23, 2004, in Kurdish highlands, Iraq. Pakistani, alleged to be Zarqawi's courier to bin Laden; alleged ties to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. 23. Musaad Aruchi (aka Musab al-Baluchi, al-Balochi, al-Baloshi) Reportedly arrested in Karachi on June 12, 2004, in a "CIA-supervised operation." Presumably Pakistani. Pakistani intelligence officials told journalists Aruchi was held by Pakistani authorities at an airbase for three days, before being handed over to the U.S., and then flown in an unmarked CIA plane to an undisclosed location. 24. Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan (aka Abu Talaha) Reportedly arrested on July 13, 2004, Pakistan. Pakistani, computer engineer, was held by Pakistani authorities, and likely transferred to U.S. custody. (Possibly in joint U.S.-Pakistani custody.) 25. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani Reportedly arrested on July 24, 2004, Pakistan Tanzanian, reportedly indicted in the United States for 1998 embassy bombings. U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials told UPI that Ghailani was transferred to "CIA custody" in early August. 26. Abu Faraj al-Libi Reportedly arrested on May 4, 2005, North Western Frontier Province, Pakistan. Libyan, suspected al-Qaeda leader of operations, alleged mastermind of two assassination attempts on Musharraf. Col. James Yonts, a U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, "said in an email to The Associated Press that al-Libbi was taken directly from Pakistan to the U.S. and was not brought to Afghanistan." |
| Link |
| Terror Networks |
| Al-Qaeda still planning a spectacular attack despite recent arrests |
| 2004-09-21 |
| U.S. intelligence agencies concluded recently that al Qaeda — fearing its credibility is on the line — is moving ahead with plans for a major, "spectacular" attack, despite disruptions of some operations by recent arrests in Britain and Pakistan. Officials said recent intelligence assessments of the group, which is blamed for the September 11 attacks, state that an attack is coming and that the danger will remain high until the Nov. 2 elections and last until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. "They [al Qaeda] think their credibility is on the line because there hasn't been a major attack since 9/11," said one official familiar with intelligence reports on the group. A second official said: "There isn't reason to believe that the recent arrests have disrupted their plans." Authorities in Pakistan and Britain recently arrested key al Qaeda leaders, but the group uses tight "compartmentation" of its operations. The process, used by intelligence services, keeps information about operations within small "cells" of terrorists to protect secrecy. Thus, details of the possible attack remain murky, but analysts say it is planned to be bigger and deadlier than the September 11 attacks, which killed 3,000 people. Potential targets include the White House, Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and congressional buildings, as well as landmarks and business centers in New York, the officials said. The officials said that there is no specific information about targets. Intelligence officials say a key figure in al Qaeda's North American operations is Adnan Shukrijumah, who is being sought by the FBI for the past several years. One official said Shukrijumah recently was seen in Mexico and earlier had been in Canada near a university with a nuclear reactor, leading to concerns that he was seeking radioactive material for a radiological bomb. The Mexican newspaper Proceso, quoting Mexican officials, reported earlier this month that Shukrijumah was being sought in northeastern Mexico after being tracked to Sonora in August. Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin told a Senate hearing last month that al Qaeda's ability to keep its operations secret is a "strategic weapon." Mr. McLaughlin told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the group "compartments secrets down to a handful of people in a cave somewhere." "It's very well-documented in the 9/11 report how few people knew about that," he said Aug. 17. "They use secrecy as a strategic weapon. It's a strategic weapon for them because it asymmetrically works against us because we don't keep secrets very well." One major intelligence "break" was the arrest in June of Musaad Aruchi, who was captured in Karachi. Aruchi was a senior al Qaeda member who provided information that led to other key arrests within weeks. |
| Link |
| Afghanistan/South Asia | |||
| How 1 cell phone led to Pakistani al-Qaeda arrests | |||
| 2004-08-12 | |||
The recent string of high-profile arrests in Pakistan of al-Qaida operatives accused of plotting against financial institutions in the United States resulted not from a meticulously planned counterterrorism operation but from a fateful lucky break, according to Pakistani police. It was the kind of break investigators dream about: A cell phone that was to trigger an explosion on a busy road in Karachi failed to detonate.
| |||
| Link |
| Terror Networks |
| Al Qaeda Arm in Pakistan Is Tied To 12 Years of Plots and Attacks |
| 2004-08-06 |
| Here's the start of the article, you have to be subscriber for the full piece. From WSJ today: By ZAHID HUSSAIN, JAMES HOOKWAY, YAROSLAV TROFIMOV and JAY SOLOMON Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL August 6, 2004; Page A1 Recent arrests and a spate of intelligence tie many of the past decade's major terrorist incidents -- and some recently interrupted plots -- to a single, clannish al Qaeda branch set up by 9/11 architect Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The group includes one Mohammed nephew, Ramzi Yousef, who was convicted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and another, Musaad Aruchi, who masterminded attacks in Pakistan. In addition, Mr. Mohammed's tribal allies from Pakistan have been linked to other attacks and plots in Africa, Southeast Asia, the U.K. and the U.S. Nephew Ammar al-Baluchi helped facilitate travel and financing for senior al Qaeda operative Riduan Isamuddin to carry out terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia. Mr. Riduan's agents were behind the October 2002 bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed more than 200 people. Terrorism experts say relatives and close associates of Mr. Mohammed -- known as KSM in the intelligence community -- also have taken leading roles in attacks inside Pakistan in recent months and have cooperated with senior al Qaeda agents to plan recent operations from New York to London to Johannesburg. Among their plots, investigators say: attacking financial institutions in the U.S. and London's Heathrow Airport. Also this week, files on a computer belonging to an al Qaeda operative linked to Mr. Mohammed led British authorities to arrest Abu Moussa al-Hindi, a U.K. citizen suspected of involvement in reconnaissance of possible terrorism targets. Pakistani officials haven't indicated whether other members of Mr. Mohammed's family or wider clan are believed to be still active in plotting terrorist attacks. They also didn't specify what other actions might be taken to ward off any future plots from this group. |
| Link |
| Terror Networks | |
| Khalid's nephew's singing | |
| 2004-08-03 | |
The arrest of a senior al Qaeda operative in June and his subsequent interrogation enabled U.S. and Pakistani intelligence agents to gather documents, e-mail addresses and cell-phone text messages that suggested al Qaeda planned to strike targets in New York and Washington, according to Pakistani intelligence officials. The al Qaeda operative, Musaad Aruchi, was arrested here on June 12 by Pakistani paramilitary forces in an operation supervised by the CIA, officials said. According to a senior Pakistani intelligence official involved in the early interrogation of the suspect, Aruchi "was sure that al Qaeda would hit New York or Washington pretty soon."
| |
| Link |
| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Ramzi Yousefâs Associates Still Being Rounded Up in Pakistan |
| 2004-06-15 |
| From IntelWire Pakistani authorities arrested two figures connected to Ramzi Yousef over the weekend, both of whom are accused of working with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorist group. According to Reuters, Pakistan arrested Daud (or Dawood) Badini, a brother-in-law of Yousef who is associated with LeJ. Like Yousef himself, Badini is accused of targeting Shiâite Muslims in bomb attacks. Badini is a suspect in a 2003 Quetta mosque bombing that killed more than 40 people, according to Pakistani authorities. Badiniâs sister is believed to be Yousefâs wife. The Pakistan government also announced the arrest of someone they called a nephew of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed named Mosabir Aruchi (alternately spelled Aroochi, Musabir Urumchi, Masrab Arochi, and Musaad Aruchi in various reports). KSM is also Ramzi Yousefâs uncle, which presumably makes Aruchi and Yousef cousins. ... Given the timing of the report, itâs possible Aruchi is an alias used by Badini. ... LeJ splintered from a Saudi-sponsored Pakistani terrorist group in 1996, about a year after Yousef was arrested. It appears to have consolidated Yousefâs surviving terror network under the new umbrella, possibly under the leadership of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed prior to his arrest. If that is the case, the LeJ might be considered the "Delta Force" of al Qaeda, a special forces unit trained with or under Yousef and KSM, tasked with specific high profile tasks, such as recent attempts to assassinate of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. LeJ and Badini personally have been linked to those attempts by Pakistani officials. ... Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may also be tied to LeJ. He was reportedly a member of its predecessor group, and U.S. authorities have said Zarqawi is also linked to Yousef. .... The South Asia Analysis Group, an India-based think tank, claims that Zarqawi and Yousef worked together on a 1994 attack on an Iranian Shiâite mosque and that Zarqawi is closely tied to LeJ. .... There have been other clues that a Yousef-linked terror network is still active in Pakistan and elsewhere. In September 2003, the U.S. Treasury Department froze the assets of Abdul Hakim Murad, a close accomplice (and childhood friend) of Yousefâs who has been imprisoned since January 1995. .... |
| Link |
| Afghanistan/South Asia | |||||||
| Pakistan Arrests Al-Qaeda Suspects With Links to Uzbek Militants | |||||||
| 2004-06-14 | |||||||
Authorities in Islamabad say they have arrested the nephew of a top former Al-Qaeda planner along with eight other Islamic militants suspected of carrying out recent attacks across southern Pakistan. Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad says the arrest of Musaad Aruchi, the nephew of a suspected mastermind of the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, is a major breakthrough. Aruchi is thought to have become increasingly involved in Al-Qaeda activities since his uncle was arrested in Pakistan last year.
| |||||||
| Link |