Al-Qaida leaders, associates

This list is the best information available the status of al-Qaida operatives believed to still be at large, broken down into leadership, family, advisors, and operatives, with a subset of women operatives. 

Some of the spellings may vary from what has been published elsewhere since different Arab countries use different spellings of even the most common names. Where a reward has been offered by the U.S. government, it is noted at the end of the personal information section of the profile.  

LEADERSHIP:

Osama Bin Laden

Citizenship: Revoked by Saudi Arabia in 1994

Aliases: Usama bin Muhammed bin Laden, The Shayhk," Hajj, Abu Adullah, The Director, The Manager, The Engineer.

Personal: The “emir” of al-Qaida, its undisputed leader.  Each al-Qaida member must swear “bayat” personal loyalty to Bin Laden and accept his orders.  Still at large even though there is a $25 million reward on his head.  Responsible for the attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon, the East Africa Embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing and an assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Married five times, divorced once, he is believed to have more than 20 children, at least three of whom, Saad, Mohammed and Hamza, have fought with him.  Others split with him after he divorced his first wife and married a 17-year-old Yemeni woman.

Educated in Saudi Arabia, his contact with the West is limited to one visit to the Alhambra in Cordoba, Spain, in the early 1970’s.

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Ayman al Zawahiri

Citizenship: Egyptian

Aliases: Abu Muhammad, Abu Fatima, Muhammad Ibrahim, Abu Abdallah, Abu al-Mu'iz, The Doctor, The Teacher, Nur, Ustaz, Abu Mohammed, Abu Mohammed Nur al-Deen, Abdel Muaz, Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri.

Personal: The former head of Egyptian Islamic Jihad which he merged with Al-Qaida in June 2001.  Al-Zawahiri is a pediatrician and the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. This organization opposes the secular Egyptian Government and seeks its overthrow through violent means. Al-Zawahiri is believed to now serve as an advisor and personal physician to Bin Laden and is currently thought to be in Afghanistan.  His wife and children are believed to have been killed by U.S. bombers in Afghanistan. The U.S. has established a reward of $25 million for information leading to his capture.

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Saif Saif al-Din al-Ansari al-Adel:

Citizenship: Egyptian

Real Name: Mohammed Makkawi

Aliases: Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi, Seif Al Adel, Ibrahim Al-Madani

Personal: Al-Qaida’s No. 3, its military commander and chief military strategist, succeeding Mohamed Atef, who was killed in November 2001 and Khalid Sheik Mohamed, who was captured in March 2003.  Served previously as al-Qaida’s security chief. As early as 1987, wanted to hijack a commercial aircraft and fly it into the Egyptian Parliament. Wrote an analysis for an al-Qaida website advising Iraqis on how to fight the U.S. Sees himself as a strategic thinker. Thought to be in Iran by some. 

The U.S. has established a reward of $25 million for information leading to his capture.  He is believed to be in Iranian control.

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