Sa'id Ali Jabir Al Khathim Al Shihri (1971–2013) was a Saudi Arabian deputy leader of the terrorist group
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and possibly involved in the kidnappings and murders of foreigners in Yemen.
Said Ali al-Shihri was captured at the
Durand Line
The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...
, in December 2001, and was one of the first detainees held at the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...
s, in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, arriving on 21 January 2002.
[
][
][
] He was held in
extrajudicial detention
Administrative detention is arrest and detention of individuals by the state without trial. A number of jurisdictions claim that it is done for security reasons. Many countries claim to use administrative detention as a means to combat terrorism ...
in American custody for almost six years.
[
]
Following his repatriation to Saudi custody he was enrolled in a rehabilitation and reintegration program. Following his release, he traveled to
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
.
In January 2009, Al-Shihri appeared in a YouTube video, with three other men, announcing the founding of
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
[
On 24 December 2009, it was reported that he may have been killed in an ]air strike
An airstrike, air strike or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighters, heavy bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters and drones. The offic ...
in Yemen. But on 19 January 2010, Yemen security authorities reported they had captured him. On 22 February 2010, the ''Yemen Post Yemen Postal Authority is the national postal authority of Yemen. It has the sole privilege of providing domestic and international postal services such as
letter post, parcel post, money orders, savings bank, EMS, fax, philately etc. Ministry of ...
'' reported that the release of an audio recording, after the reports of his death, or capture, confirmed he was at large.[
] Yemen officials reported he was killed by a drone strike on 10 September 2012. Six days later, a Yemeni official told the London-based daily '' Asharq Al-Awsat'' that DNA tests reportedly determined he was not killed in the drone strike.
On 20 September 2012, sources close to AQAP told the ''Yemen Observer
The ''Yemen Observer'' ( ar, يمن أوبزرفر) is an English-language, Tri-weekly newspaper published in the Republic of Yemen. It was founded in 1996 by Faris Sanabani, aide and press secretary of then Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It ...
'' that al-Shihri was not killed in the strike. Yemeni officials also told the same newspaper that contrary to what ''Asharq Al-Aswat
''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
'' reported, no DNA tests had yet been taken and that the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
had requested that the Yemeni government wait until an American team of examiners could administer the DNA tests on the corpses of the men killed in the drone strike.
On 21 October 2012, al-Shihri released an audio tape confirming that he was not killed in the drone strike. On 22 January 2013, it was reported that al-Shihri had died of wounds from a drone strike in late 2012.
On 17 July 2013, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula confirmed that he had been killed in a U.S. drone strike instead of succumbing to wounds. In August 2014, the group revealed in a video that the drone strike that killed Shihri took place in 2013 and that he had survived the 2012 drone strike but was severely wounded.
Early life
The ''Yemen Post'' reports al Shihri did not finish high school.[ According to the ]United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
, al-Shihri spent two months in Afghanistan in approximately 2000, and trained at the Libyan training camp
Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
north of Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
.
Al-Shihri said that he was in Afghanistan to purchase carpets for his family's furniture business.[ He denied any knowledge of weapons or participation in hostilities.][
In 2001, al-Shiri left Saudi Arabia and went to ]Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
. He was on a watch list because he was suspected of funding other fighters' travels to Afghanistan after 9-11. He was also accused of helping Saudis acquire false travel documents to enter into Afghanistan. Specifically he was accused of meeting with "a group of extremists in Mashad, Iran
Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province and has a po ...
", and briefing them on entry procedures into Afghanistan via the Al-Tayyibat crossing.[
]
Capture
Al-Shihri was captured at the Pakistan border crossing in December 2001 near Spin Boldak.[ He was traveling with an Afghan driver, another Saudi man who worked with the Red Crescent, and a member from the Saudi embassy in Pakistan, in a vehicle taking supplies to a camp in Afghanistan.][ He was found with an injured leg incurred during the ]American aerial bombardment of Afghanistan
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
. He was also allegedly carrying $1,900.
He claimed he wanted to give the money to the Red Crescent charity organization, but according to the US, he used the money to finance the travel for other fighters traveling from Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
to Afghanistan.
Combatant Status Review
Initially the Bush administration asserted they could withhold the protections of the Geneva Conventions
upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864
The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...
from captives in the War on Terror
The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...
, while critics argued the Conventions obliged the United States to conduct competent tribunals to determine the status of prisoners. Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRT) were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were esta ...
s, to determine whether the captives met the new definition of an " enemy combatant".
Detainees do not have the right to a lawyer before the CSRTs or to access the evidence against them. The CSRTs are not bound by the rules of evidence that would apply in court, and the government’s evidence is presumed to be “genuine and accurate.” However, unclassified summaries of relevant evidence may be provided to the detainee and each detainee has an opportunity to present “reasonably available” evidence and witnesses.
From July 2004 through March 2005, a CSRT was convened to make a determination whether each captive had been correctly classified as an "enemy combatant". was among the one-third of prisoners for whom there was no indication they chose to participate in their tribunals.
In the landmark case ''Boumediene v. Bush,'' the U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
found that CSRTs are not an adequate substitute for the constitutional right to challenge one's detention in court, in part because they do not have the power to order detainees released. The Court also found that "there is considerable risk of error in the tribunal’s findings of fact."
A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for the tribunal, listing the alleged facts that led to his detainment. His memo accused him of the following:[
][
]
*he traveled from Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan, after 11 September 2001, with $1,900, that he planned to give to the Red Crescent charity;
*he was an "al Qaida travel facilitator
AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media
* Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera
* Al (''Fullmetal ...
", who funded other fighters, and guided them on how to cross the Afghanistan–Iran border
The Afghanistan–Iran border is in length and runs from the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the north to the tripoint with Pakistan in the south.
Description
The border begins at the tripoint with Turkmenistan in the Harirud river before procee ...
;
*he was on a watch list because he was suspected of helping Saudis acquire false travel documents, for traveling to Afghanistan;
*he trained at the Libyan camp north of
300px, Terrorists who trained at camps in Afghanistan and fought in insurgencies around the world during the 1990s
An Afghan jihadist camp, or an Afghan training camp, is a term used to describe a camp or facility used for militant training loca ...
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
;
*he was instructed to assassinate someone, via a fatwa
A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...
;
*his leg was wounded during the American aerial bombardment of Afghanistan
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
Administrative Review Board
Detainees whose Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRT) were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were esta ...
labeled them "enemy combatants" were scheduled for annual Administrative Review Board hearings. These hearings were designed to assess the threat a detainee might pose if released or transferred, and whether there were other factors that warranted his continued detention.
2005 Summary of evidence memo
The three-page Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his 2005 annual review listed fifteen "primary factors favor ngcontinued detention" and eight "primary factors favor ngrelease or transfer."[ According to the 2005 memo he did not enter Afghanistan across its western border with Iran but across its eastern border with ]Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.[ According to the 2005 memo the instructions he received to assassinate someone were from ]Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
Hamud Al-Uqqla
Hamoud al-Aqla ( ar, حمود العقلاء; died late 2001),Factors for and against the continued detention (.pdf)of Khalid Malluh Shayi Al Jilba Al Qahtani ''Administrative Review Board'' - page 2 commonly known as al-Shu'aybi ( ar, الشع ...
.[ According to the 2005 memo he met ]Abu Faisal al Ghamdi
Abu or ABU may refer to:
Places
* Abu (volcano), a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan
* Abu, Yamaguchi, a town in Japan
* Ahmadu Bello University, a university located in Zaria, Nigeria
* Atlantic Baptist University, a Christian university ...
, the Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
regional director for the charity al Wafa which American intelligence officials assert had ties to terrorism, and another al Wafa director had his phone number in his pocket litter.[ The 2005 memo repeated al-Shihri's account of his travel and wounding in Afghanistan—that he traveled there for humanitarian purposes, and was wounded within 17 hours of his arrival.][ He claimed he had never heard of either al Wafa or al Qaida prior to his arrival in Guantanamo. He denied any knowledge of weapons or participation in hostilities, or any participation in assisting militant recruits to travel to Afghanistan. He stated that Osama bin Laden "did not represent Islam".][
]
2006 Summary of Evidence memo
The four page Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his 2006 annual review listed twenty-two "primary factors favor ngcontinued detention" and nine "primary factors favor ngrelease or transfer".[ According to the 2006 memo, he decided to do charity work in Pakistan after he heard a speech by ]Shaykh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
Abdullah al-Jibrin
Abdullah may refer to:
* Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname
* Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village
* ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan
* '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Paki ...
at the Al-Rajeh mosque in Saudi Arabia and saw videos of Afghan refugees.[ According to the 2006 memo, he had previously traveled to the Pakistan border with Afghanistan to observe the work in a refugee camp near ]Chaman, Pakistan
Chaman ( Balochi, Pashto and ur, ) is a city and recently claimed as a new district of Balochistan named Chaman District as it was earlier a part of district Qila Abdullah District located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital ...
. The 2006 memo was more specific about his assistance to potential fighters, stating: "The detainee met with a group of extremists in Mashad, Iran
Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province and has a po ...
following the 11 September 2001 attacks and briefed them on entry procedures into Afghanistan via the Al-Tayyibat crossing."[
The 2006 memo was also more specific about where he crossed—near ]Spin Buldak
Spin Boldak ( ps, سپین بولدک) is a border town and the headquarters of Spin Boldak District in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, next to the border with Pakistan. It is linked by a highway with the city of Kandahar to the ...
: "The detainee traveled with an Afghan driver, another Saudi man who worked with the Red Crescent, and a member from the Saudi embassy in Pakistan, in a vehicle taking supplies to a camp in Afghanistan."[ The camp was about 5 kilometers from the border between Spin Buldak Afghanistan and ]Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
, Pakistan. The 2006 memo stated one of his aliases: "was among 100 names taken from Afghanistan-based military training cmap applications located at an Arab office in Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...
".[ The 2006 memo quoted the individual who claimed Al Shihri had "instigated" him to assassinate a writer, based on Al-Uqqla's fatwa. According to this version, Al Shihri was not wounded; he had successfully fled Afghanistan, through Iran, to ]Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
. The 2006 memo also stated he was taken to a hospital run by the Red Crescent society in Pakistan, and that he was arrested in the hospital.[
]
2007 Summary of evidence memo
The three-page Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his 2007 annual review listed just eleven "primary factors favor ngcontinued detention" and six "primary factors favor ngrelease or transfer".[
No new allegations were added. On 9 January 2009, the Department of Defense published two heavily redacted memos, from Al-Shihri's Board, to ]Gordon R. England
Gordon Richard England (born September 15, 1937) is an American politician and businessman who was the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and twice served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.
...
, the Designated Civilian Official
The Designated Senior Official (DSO), also referred to as the Senior Designated Official (SDO) or Designated Civilian Official (DCO), is an additional duty or responsibility assigned to officials within governments. The designation, often mandated ...
.[
][
]
The Board's recommendation was unanimous
The Board's recommendation was redacted.
England decision, made on 23 July 2007, was also redacted.
Guantanamo medical records
On 16 March 2007, the Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
published records of the captives' height and weights.[
] Al Shihri's height was reported as 62 inches tall.[ His weight was recorded 46 times between his arrival on 21 January 2002, when he weighed 138 pounds, and 19 November 2006, when he weighed 171 pounds.
]
Repatriation
On 25 November 2008, the Department of Defense released a list of the dates captives departed from Guantanamo.[
]
According to that list he was repatriated to Saudi custody on 9 November 2007, with thirteen other men.
The records published from the captives' annual Administrative Reviews show his repatriation was the subject of formal internal review procedures in 2005, 2006 and 2007.[
][
][
]
But the Board's recommendations from the 2007 review—the only one to be published—were redacted.
The conclusion the Designated Civilian Official
The Designated Senior Official (DSO), also referred to as the Senior Designated Official (SDO) or Designated Civilian Official (DCO), is an additional duty or responsibility assigned to officials within governments. The designation, often mandated ...
authorized was also redacted.
At least ten other men in his release group were not repatriated through the formal review procedure.[
Peter Taylor writing for the '']BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
'' called the Saudis repatriated on 9 November 2007 with al-Shihri, ''"batch 10
Batch 10 is a name journalists have given to the tenth batch of former Saudi captives in Guantanamo, Saudi captives to be repatriated to Saudi Arabian custody.
Five of the fourteen captives in this group repatriated to Saudi captivity on Novembe ...
"''.[
]
He wrote that the ''BBC's'' research had found this batch to be a problematic cohort, and that al Shiri and four other men from this batch were named on the Saudi most wanted list Periodically Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior publishes a most wanted list.
According to ''Asharq Alawsat'' Saudi Arabia has published four lists of "most wanted" suspected terrorists, and those lists contained 19, 26, 36 and 85 indi ...
.[
]
Post-release
After Sa'id's repatriation to Saudi custody he went through a Saudi rehabilitation and reintegration program for former jihadists.[
][
] This program was partially sponsored by the United States.
Co-founded Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
In January 2009, after Sa'id's release from the Saudi rehabilitation program he appeared in several jihadist videos, including one where he was identified as second in command of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.[
He appeared in a threatening ]YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
video with three other men, identified as Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi
Mohamed Atiq Awayd Al Harbi is a citizen of Saudi Arabia formerly held in extrajudicial detention in the United States's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba. His Guantanamo Internee Security Number was 333. The US Department of Defense repo ...
, Abu Baseer al-Wahayshi and Abu Hureira Qasm al-Rimi
Qasim al-Raymi ( ar, قاسم الريمي; 5 June 1978 – 29 January 2020) was a Yemeni militant who was the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Al-Raymi was one of 23 men who escaped in the 3 February 2006 prison-break in Yemen ...
.[
]
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', quoting American diplomats in Sana, reported that a car bomb
A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles.
Car bombs can be roughly divided ...
that detonated outside their Embassy in Sana
Sana may refer to:
Places
* Sanaa, the capital of Yemen
* Sana (river), a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Sana, Bhutan, a town in Bhutan
* Sana, Haute-Garonne, a commune in France
* Sana, Iran, a village in Iran
* Sana, Mali, a commune in M ...
was the work of Al-Shihri.[
]
On 26 January 2009, the '' Saudi Gazette'' published a report based on interviews with Al Shihri's father, and current wife.[
]
Jaber Aal Khath'am Al-Shihri said his son had spent Ramadan
, type = islam
, longtype = Religious
, image = Ramadan montage.jpg
, caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
with his family.
The elder Al Shihri said his son was a primary-school dropout, that he had been married twice, and had a young daughter.
He said that his son had been troubled by memories of his detention, where his son told him ''"he thought about death all the time."''
He said that, after his release, his son had hoped to find a job as an imam.
He said that he had added an addition to his family home for his son and his family to live in.
However, after Ramadan, his son left his pregnant wife and child with his in-laws, and disappeared.
The ''Saudi Gazette'' reported that his wife confirmed his father's account.[
She told the Gazette he had been acting normally, prior to his disappearance. ''"He used to smile and laugh and was generally happy."''
She described the 3000 Saudi Riyal monthly stipend he received from the Saudi government, following his release, as "an honor."
She told the paper that her husband's sister had phoned her, after his disappearance, and told her he had requested she get a cell phone, so he could talk to her, but then he had not phoned.][
The ''Saudi Gazette'' reported that one of al-Shihri's brothers-in-law, ]Yusuf Al-Shihri
Yussef Mohammed Mubarak al-Shihri (1985–2009) was a citizen of Saudi Arabia who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.
He was born on September 8, 1985, in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.
At th ...
, was also a former Guantanamo captive.[
While al-Shihri's wife had told the ''Saudi Gazette'' she suspected nothing, his father said visits from other former captives disturbed him, and he attributed his son's defection to their influence. He said that he regretted his son had not died from the wounds he suffered in Afghanistan.][
Muhammad al-Oufi's mother told the ''Saudi Gazette'' that her son's radicalization was due to Sa'id's influence.][
]
Called upon Somali pirates to "increase your attacks upon Crusaders"
On 16 April 2009, ''CBS News
CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 48 H ...
'' reported on a message Al Shihri issued to Somali pirates.[
]
''CBS'' reported that there had been little concrete sign of a collaboration between Al Qaeda and the Somali pirates, but that the message also promised Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...
, Ayman Al Zawahiri and Mullah Omar
Mullah Muhammad Omar (; –April 2013) was an Afghan Islamic revolutionary who founded the Taliban and served as the supreme leader of Afghanistan from Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001), 1996 to 2001.
Born into a religious family of ...
that al-Shihri's group would be opening a new front in the Arabian Peninsula.[
]
Listed as a former captive who "re-engaged in terrorism"
On 27 May 2009, the Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence.
A component of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the I ...
published a "fact sheet" listing captives who ''"re-engaged in terrorism"''.[
]
The fact sheet listed al Awfi and Al Shihri.
Linked to the murder of Christian missionaries in Yemen
''Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
'' quoting Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch
Jihad Watch is an American far-right anti-Muslim conspiracy blog operated by Robert B. Spencer. A project of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Jihad Watch is the most popular blog within the counter-jihad movement. Organization
The site featur ...
, linked Said Ali Al Shihri to the kidnapping and murder of Christian missionaries Rita Stumpp
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as Rita, a ...
, Anita Gruenwald
Anita or ANITA may refer to:
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* ''Anita'' (1967 film), an Indian film
* ''Anita'' (2009 film), an Argentine film
* ''Anita'' (2021 film), a Hong Kong film
*'' Anita: Swedish Nymphet'', a 1973 erotic film
People
* Anita (given name), people ...
Eom Young-sun, and the kidnapping of six other Christian medical missionaries.[
]
''Fox News'' also quoted Gregory Johnsen
Gregory may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gregory (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Gregory (surname), a surname
Places Australia
*Gregory, Queensland, a town in the Shire of ...
, editor of ''"Islam and Insurgency in Yemen
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or ''Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the main ...
"'':[
While ''Fox News'' acknowledged no group had taken responsibility for the murders it speculated that the possible involvement of al-Shihri, a graduate of the Saudi jihadist rehabilitation program, would complicate ]United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's plans to close Guantanamo.[
]
Released a video requesting donations
On 30 September 2009, the Middle East Media Resources Institute
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI; officially the "Middle East Media and Research Institute") is a nonprofit press monitoring and analysis organization co-founded by former Israeli military intelligence officer Yigal Carmon and ...
reported that Said Al Shiri had released a video requesting donations.[
]
Said's father, and Prince Muhammad Bin Naif
Muhammad bin Nayef Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن نايف آل سعود, translit=Muḥammad bin Nāyif Āl Su‘ūd; born 30 August 1959), colloquially known by his initials MBN or MbN, is a former Saudi Arabian politician and businessman who serv ...
, Assistant Deputy Interior Minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
for Security Affairs, spoke out against his funding efforts.[
]
Reported killed in an air strike
On 24 December 2009, ''ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
'' reported that an air strike in Yemen had killed senior members of al Qaida.[
]
They reported that the dead might include Nasir al-Wuhayshi
Nasir Abdel Karim al-Wuhayshi ( ar, ناصر عبد الكريم الوحيشي'; also transliterated as Naser al-Wahishi, Nasser al-Wuhayshi) alias Abu Basir, (1 October 1976 – 12 June 2015) was a Yemeni Islamist, who served as the leader o ...
, al-Shihri, and Anwar al-Awlaki.
Reported to be in Yemeni custody
On 19 January 2010, Yemen security authorities reported they had captured al-Shiri. He was reported to have tried to evade a newly established roadblock, and to have been apprehended, with another man, after they were injured when their speeding vehicle flipped over.
Release of an audio recording in February 2010
The ''Yemen Post'' reported that al Shihri released an audio recording made after the reports of his death and capture.[
They speculated that the audio tape indicated that the reports that the leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Nasser al Wahayshi, was killed on 24 December 2009 attack.
Al Shihri's audio took credit for Nigerian Umar Umar Farouk Abdulmutalib's attempted airliner bombing.
He threatened that the group had scheduled operation to ''"control ]Bab Al-Mandab strait
Bab or BAB can refer to:
*Bab (toponymy), a component of Arabic toponyms literally meaning "gate"
* Set (mythology) (also known as Bab, Baba, or Seth) ancient Egyptian God
* Bab (Shia Islam), a term designating deputies of the Imams in Shia Islam ...
"''.
The ''Yemen Post'' also reported that al Shihri claimed the USA was planning to insert US troops into Yemen to directly attack his group.
The arrest of 100 suspect followers announced in March 2010
On 25 March 2010, Saudi officials announced that they had arrested 100 suspected followers of Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.[
]
Judith Miller, formerly of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', reporting for ''Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
'', wrote that the captured men were reported to be ''"exchanging coded e-mails"'', with al-Shiri.
Named in a custody dispute
In August 2009, the first husband of al-Shihri's wife ''Umm Hajir Al-Azdi'', named ''Saoud Aal Shaye' al-Qahtani'', launched a child custody
Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...
claim, noting that his former wife was a believer in the practice of takfir (declaring others apostates from Islam), and had taken their 11-year-old son to Yemen with al-Shihri in May 2009.[
] al-Qahtani provided evidence of her inability to raise his son, noting that she was married to al-Shihri, her younger brother had also been imprisoned at Guantanamo, three of her brothers were allegedly "militant jihadists", and her second husband had been killed by Saudi security forces in 2004.[
]
Reports of death
On 22 January 2013, members of al-Shihri's family told Al Arabiya that he had died earlier that day after succumbing to wounds from a previous airstrike. An Al Qaeda spokesman identified as Abdulla bin Muhammad stated on his Twitter account that al-Shihri died "after a long journey in fighting the Zio-Crusader campaign." It was not known exactly how he died and under what circumstances, though his family alleged the drone strike took place sometime in the second week of December 2012. On 9 April, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's media arm Al-Malahem Foundation released an audio message of al-Shihri, accompanied by a previously unreleased photo, and an Al Qaeda cleric identified as Abu-Saad Al-Aamly denied reports of al-Shihri's death.
Death
On 17 July 2013, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula confirmed that al-Shihri was killed in a U.S. drone strike. The announcement, posted on militant websites, gave no date for the death. In August 2014, the group revealed that al-Shihri was killed in 2013 and had survived the 2012 drone strike, but lost his right eye, right ear and a part of his skull.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shihri, Said Ali Al-
1971 births
2013 deaths
Al-Qaeda propagandists
Deaths by United States drone strikes in Yemen
Detainees of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp
Guantanamo detainees known to have been released
Fugitives
Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government
Named on Saudi Arabia's list of most wanted suspected terrorists
Saudi Arabian al-Qaeda members
Saudi Arabian expatriates in Pakistan
Saudi Arabian extrajudicial prisoners of the United States
Saudi Arabian propagandists