Revised Edition: 2016 ISBN 978-1-280-19773-4 © All rights reserved. Published by: College Publishing House 48 West 48 Street, Suite 1116, New York, NY 10036, United States Email: [email protected] Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Chapter 2 - Al-Badr (India) & Al Ghurabaa Chapter 3 - Al-Qaeda & Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya Chapter 4 - Al-Qaeda in Iraq Chapter 5 - Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb Chapter 6 - Ansar Al-Islam WT Chapter 7 - Armed Islamic Group of Algeria Chapter 8 - Balochistan Liberation Army Chapter 9 - Communist Party of India (Maoist) Chapter 10 - Fatah al-Islam Chapter 11 - ETA Chapter 12 - Lashkar-e-Taiba Chapter 13 - Hezbollah Chapter 14 - FBI Most Wanted Terrorists Chapter 15 - Imad Mughniyah Chapter 16 - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Chapter 17 - Ayman al-Zawahiri Chapter 18 - Adam Yahiye Gadahn ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ Chapter 1 Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades WT Marwan Barghouti (P.O.W.) Zakaria Zubeidi (former) Leader Naif Abu-Sharah (KIA) Fadi Kafisha (KIA) Founded 2000 Palestinian nationalism Ideology Secular nationalism The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank. The group's name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The organization has been designated as a terrorist group by the governments of Israel, the United States, Canada, Japan and the European Union. Many Palestinian people believe that the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is a group that defends Palestinian rights by licit resistance. Arafat and Fatah It is disputed whether or not the brigades have a direct relationship with the leaders of Fatah. The leadership of the brigades, and average members have identified themselves as the military wing of Fatah. On their website, and on posters they post the Fatah emblem. The leadership of Fatah has said they never made a decision either to create the brigades, or make them the militant wing of Fatah. Since 2002, some leaders in Fatah have tried to get the brigades to stop attacking Israelis. ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ In November 2003 BBC journalists uncovered a payment by Fatah of $50,000 a month to al-Aqsa. This investigation, combined with the documents found by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), led the government of Israel to draw the conclusion that the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have always been directly funded by Yasser Arafat. In June 2004 then Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei openly stated this: "We have clearly declared that the Aksa Martyrs Brigades are part of Fatah. We are committed to them and Fatah bears full responsibility for the group." In July he further declared "The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, military wing of the Fatah movement will not be dissolved and Fatah will never relinquish its military wing." Activities The al-Aqsa brigades are responsible for dozens of suicide bombings and many more shooting attacks against Israeli vehicles in the West Bank. For a complete list of the suicide bombings carried out by the organization see: List of Palestinian suicide attacks. Some notable suicide bombings committed by the group were: • JanuaWry 2002: Bat Mitzvah massacre, when Ta gunman killed six and wounded 33 in a Bat Mitzvah celebration. • March 2, 2002: Beit Yisrael, Jerusalem - 11 killed. • January 5, 2003: Southern Tel Aviv central bus station - 22 killed. • January 29, 2004: Rehavia, Jerusalem, bus line 19 - 11 killed. • March 14, 2004: Port of Ashdod - 10 killed (together with Hamas). On October 16, 2005, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction, killing three Israelis and wounding three others. On March 24, 2004, a Palestinian teenager named Hussam Abdo was caught in an IDF checkpoint carrying an explosive belt. Following his arrest, an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade teenagers' militant cell was exposed and arrested in Nablus. On September 23, 2004 a 15- year-old suicide bomber was arrested by Israeli security forces. The Brigades, like many militia groups, is noted for the use of promotional posters in the main cities of the Palestinian territories. The Brigades have attacked Palestinians as well as Israelis. In November and December, 2003 they killed the brother of Ghassan Shakaa (the mayor of Nablus). In February 2004 Shakaa filed his resignation from office in protest of the Palestinian Authority's lack of action against the armed militias "rampaging" the city. During the first three months of 2004, a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were blamed on the Brigades as well, including the attack on the Arab television station al-Arabiya's West Bank offices by masked men who identified themselves as members of the Brigades. Palestinian journalists in Gaza called a general strike on February 9, 2004 to protest this rising violence against journalists. ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have taken prominent part in the July 2004 riots in the Gaza Strip, in which Palestinian officers were kidnapped and PA security headquarters buildings and policemen were attacked by armed gunmen. These riots led the Palestinian cabinet to declare a state of emergency. One media outlet described the situation in the Palestinian Authority as anarchy and chaos. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have carried out several joint attacks with the Islamist group Hamas. These attacks were committed mainly in the Gaza Strip. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have also carried out joint attack with other militant groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, The Popular Resistance Committees and with Hezbollah in the West Bank. The European Union's Gaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on 30 January 2006. They demanded apologies from Denmark and Norway regarding the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons and left 30 minutes later without shots fired or injuries. On June 9, 2007, in a failed assault on an IDF position at the Kissufim crossing between Gaza and Israel in a possible attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers, 4 armed members of the al- WT Quds Brigades - the military wing of Islamic Jihad - and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - the military wing of Fatah -, used a vehicle marked with "TV" and "PRESS" insignias penetrated the border fence and assaulted a guard tower in what Islamic Jihad and the army said was a failed attempt to capture an Israeli soldier. IDF troops killed one militant, while the others escaped. The use of a vehicle that resembled a press vehicle evoked a sharp response from many journalists and news organizations, including the Foreign Press Association and Human Rights Watch. On the July 14, 2007, Zakaria Zubeidi, considered the local al-Aqsa leader for Jenin and the northern West Bank and has been wanted for many years for his terrorist activity against Israel, agreed to cease fighting against Israel after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave conditional pardon for 178 terrorists in the PA territories. Amnesty deal On August 22, 2007, according to Arutz Sheva, an unlicensed Israeli media news network identifying with religious Zionism, Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade announced that it was backing out of its commitment and promise to refrain from attacks against Israel and the Israeli backed amnesty deal giving amnesty to 178 al-Aqsa gunmen who agreed to stop terrorist activities against Israel and surrender their weapons. al-Aqsa said that it backed out of the deal due to the IDF’s arrest of two militants who were supposed to be on the amnesty list. According to the IDF, they said they caught the two men at a checkpoint and said they were involved in "terrorist activity" which consequently mandated their arrest according to the stipulations of the amnesty deal. Shortly after backing out of the amnesty deal and its promise of stopping to attack Israel that Al Aqsa ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ agreed to a month earlier, al-Aqsa gunmen in Gaza have announced that they are starting to launch hundreds of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and cities and named the campaign, “Hole in the Wall II.” Members Notable members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade (ordered lexicographically according to the last name) includes active militants and militants that were killed or arrested by the Israeli security forces. • Naif Abu-Sharah : local commander in Nablus (killed by IDF). • Fadi Kafisha: former head of the Tanzim in Nablus. • Sirhan Sirhan : (Not to be confused with the Sirhan Sirhan responsible for killing Robert Kennedy.) Responsible for killing 5 people, including a mother and her 2 children in Kibbutz Metzer. Killed in an Israeli house demolition. • Zakaria Zubeidi: local commander in Jenin, known for his relationship with Israeli far left activist Tali Fahima. WT ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ Chapter 2 Al-Badr (India) & Al Ghurabaa Al-Badr (India) Al-Badr is an Islamic militant group operating in the Jammu Kashmir region, run by Jasniel Rihal. The group was allegedly formed by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelli- gence (ISI) in June 1998. It is believed the group was encouraged by the ISI to operate independently from their previous umbrella group, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM). Prior to the groups separation from HM, they participated in the fighting in Afghanistan in 1990 WT as part of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb-l-Islami (HIG) alongside other anti-Soviet Afghan mujihadeen. Foundation/separation The group was originally led by Arfeen Bhai, also known as Jannisar or Lukmaan, when it separated in 1998 and is currently led by Bahkt Zameen Khan. In 2002, Zameen declared jihad against the U.S. forces in Afghanistan after being responsible for prior attacks against coalition forces there beginning in 2001. Al-Badr went on further in 2002 to order all women police in the Rajouri District of Kashmir to quit their jobs by mid- January the next year. The group has stated membership in the United Jihad Council (UJC), a coalition of Pakistan-based militants who are active in the Jammu Kashmir region. They have been linked to Jamaat-e-Islami and alleged to have connection with al- Qaeda. The groups stated purpose is to liberate the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir to be merged with Pakistan. Al-Badr opposes negotiations to end the violence in Kashmir and opposes the Line of Control (LoC) and calls for the strengthening of the jihad. Al- Badr was banned by India under The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2004. Al- Badr is currently on the U.S. State Department list of Designated Foreign Funding Freedom Organizations. Recent activity It is believed the group has been weakened in recent years due to increased presence of Indian security forces along the Line of Control (LoC) that separates India from Pakistan. Indian security forces gauge the strength of al-Badr to be between 200-300 strong with 30% of those forces being foreign mercenaries. Al-Badr is currently one of only two ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ Kashmiri separatist groups that employ suicide squads as a tactic, the other being Lashkar-e-Tayyeba. On 27 October 2006, two members of al-Badr were apprehended in Mysore in what Indian police are calling a foiled terror attack. Mohd Ali Hussain and Mohd Fahad were captured carrying a laptop, chemicals often used for creating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), detonators, an AK-47 rifle, a pistol, a cell phone, a digital camera and passports as well as sketches of the state legislature building, 'Vidhan Soudha'. Al Ghurabaa Al Ghurabaa is a Muslim organization which, along with the The Saviour Sect, is widely believed to be the reformed Al-Muhajiroun after it disbanded in 2004 by order of Omar Bakri Muhammad. Other members include Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair. WT On July 17, 2006 the group was proscribed under legislation in Britain outlawing organizations that support terrorism. Home Secretary Dr. John Reid laid an order in Parliament which makes it a criminal offence for a person to belong to or encourage support for the group, to arrange meetings in its support, or to wear clothes or carry articles in public indicating support or membership. The name of the group is derived from a hadith (or tradition) ascribed to Muhammad, "Islam began as something strange and will end as something strange...Paradise is for Al Ghurabaa' [the strangers]." Anjem Choudary, previously a leader of Al-Muhajiroun, was a spokesman or prominent figure in al Ghurabaa'. In 2010 he reemerged as the leader of Islam4UK. Statement about terrorism "Al Ghurabaa do not glorify any acts of terrorism, whether committed by individuals, organisations or nation states such as USA or UK, we do not wish anybody to emulate them or praise them and make expressly clear that that is not the intention of any of our articles or comments of our representatives. If anyone was to mistakenly get this impression then that is not our intention and we will do everything we can to clarify the misunderstanding." This statement is at odds with the views of leading member Abu Izzadeen who was filmed on the eve of the first anniversary of the 7/7 terrorist attacks on the city of London mocking the victims of 9/11 and threatening further attacks on non-Muslims. ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________ Al Ghurabaa was banned by Waltham Forest Council from holding meetings at premises within walking distance of the homes of several of the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot suspects. Abu Izzadeen, a Muslim convert also known as Omar Brookes, was ejected from an open community meeting in East London at which the Home Secretary Dr John Reid was speaking. Izzadeen was furious about "state terrorism by British police" and heckled Reid before ejected by the police. Death threats In response to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, Al Ghurabaa' published an article on their website titled, "Kill those who insult the Prophet Muham- mad". The article states, "The insulting of the Messenger Muhammad is something that the Muslims cannot and will not tolerate and the punishment in Islam for the one who does so is death. This is the sunnah of the prophet and the verdict of Islam upon such people, one that any Muslim is able [to] execute." Al Ghurabaa' had organised the 3 February protest march from London Central Mosque WT to the Danish Embassy, where protesters waved placards reading, "Butcher those who mock Islam", "Kill those who insult Islam", "Europe you will pay, your 9/11 is on the way", or "7/7 is on its way", "Europe you will pay, bin Laden is on his way" and "Europe you'll come crawling, when the Mujahideen come roaring". Despite the similar theme on Al Ghurabaa's website, their spokesman, Anjem Choudary, said he did not know who wrote the placards. MPs from all parties condemned the protest, calling the Metropolitan police to pursue those responsible on the grounds that the threats were an incitement to murder. New organization In November 2005 The Saved Sect were re-established under the name Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. This organization operates mainly through an invitation-only Internet forum, of which Anjem Choudary is a prominent contributor, using the username "Abou Luqman". A reporter visiting the site found recordings of Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al- Zawahiri, and Omar Bakri Mohammed, as well as calls for holy war. ________________________WORLD TECHNOLOGIES________________________