Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil ( ar, عز الدين عبد العزيز خليل; born 1982), also known as Yasin al-Suri ( ar, ياسين السوري), is allegedly a senior al-Qaeda facilitator and

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...

based in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, according to the U.S. government. He is in the $3 million reward category in the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.

Biography

The U.S. State Department says that Khalil is a Syrian national, born in the city of

Qamishli Qamishli ( ar, ٱلْقَامِشْلِي, Al-Qāmišlī, ku, قامشلۆ, Qamişlo, syc, ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ, Bēṯ Zālīn, lit=House of Reeds or syr, ܩܡܫܠܐ, translit=Qamishlo)

in 1982. He also has used other aliases such as Yaseen al-Suri, Izz al-Din Abd al-Farid Khalil and Zayn al-Abadin.

Al-Qaeda activities

The U.S. government first connected Khalil to al-Qaeda when it sanctioned him as the alleged leader of an al-Qaeda fundraising and logistics network in Iran on 28 July 2011. According to the

U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

, Khalil has lived and operated in Iran since 2005 under agreement between al-Qaeda and the Iranian government. In his role as al-Qaeda's representative in Iran, Khalil works with the organization's senior leaders to transfer money and recruits via Iranian territory to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Khalil reportedly tasks new operatives with delivering $10,000 to al-Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan. The al-Qaeda facilitator also allegedly works with the Iranian government to release al-Qaeda members from Iranian prisons and then facilitate their travel to Pakistan. ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' said that the U.S. government's announcement of the Iran-based al-Qaeda network was the first time the U.S. had "formally accused Iran of forging an alliance with al Qaeda." On 22 December 2011, the U.S. State Department further announced that as part of its Rewards for Justice Program, it was offering up to a $10 million reward for information on the location of Khalil. It also marked the first time that Rewards for Justice offered a reward for information leading to a terrorist financier. At the briefing announcing the reward for information leading to Khalil, Robert Hartung, Assistant Director for the Threat Investigations and Analysis of the

Bureau of Diplomatic Security The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and p ...

, stated, "As a key fundraiser for the al-Qaida terrorist network, he is a continuing danger to the interest of the United States, to its facility, and its citizens. Locating al-Suri and shutting down his operations would eliminate a significant financial resource for al-Qaida." The Iranian government has rejected as "completely baseless" the charges that Khalil is present in Iran and operating within the country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalil, Ezedin Abdel Aziz 1982 births Living people People from Qamishli Al-Qaeda leaders Syrian al-Qaeda members Fugitives wanted by the United States Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges Iran–United States relations

Biography

Al-Qaeda activities

See also

References