Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi | |
|---|---|
عبد الرحمن المغربي | |
| Born | Mohamed Abattay 1970 or 1975[1] |
| Citizenship | Morocco |
| Alma mater | Hochschule Niederrhein |
| Occupation | Global terrorist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Organization |  Al-Qaeda |
| Spouse | Nabila al-Zawahiri |
| Relatives | Ayman al-Zawahiri (father-in-law) |
Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi (Arabic:عبد الرحمن المغربي; born 1970 or 1975) is aMoroccan-born terrorist and senior member ofAl-Qaeda (AQ) who leads the organization's External Communications Office, includingAs-Sahab Media.[2][1] He is the son-in-law of the group's late emirAyman al-Zawahiri, and is seen as a potential successor toSaif al-Adel as leader of the terror group.[3][4]
Though primarily known by anom de guerre which references his Moroccan birthplace, hisgiven name isMohamed Abattay (Arabic:محمد أبطاي).[5] After his radicalization in the late 1990s, al-Maghrebi abandoned his schooling in Germany and departed for the infamous Al Farouq training camp outsideKandahar,Afghanistan, where he was hand-picked byKhalid Sheikh Mohammed for work in the groups propaganda arm.
Following theSeptember 11 attacks, al-Maghrebi is believed to have quickly fled toIran. He subsequently rose through the ranks of Al-Qaeda, gaining trust, and winning the hand of Zawahiri's daughter in marriage. By 2012, al-Maghrebi had become al-Qaeda's general manager for all of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US moved to designate al-Maghrebi aSpecially Designated Global Terrorist in early 2021. After theTaliban's return to power in August of that year, al-Maghrebi was believed to have been living together with Zawahiri in the same house in downtownKabul where Zawahiri would later bekilled in a U.S. drone strike.[6] As of 2023 his whereabouts are unknown.
Al-Maghrebi was born Mohamed Abattay inMarrakesh, Morocco.[2] He left Morocco for Germany in 1996, where he studiedcomputer programming andelectrical engineering inCologne at theHochschule Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences.[4][7]
While studying in Germany, al-Maghrebi joined a group of Muslim students that grew increasingly radical and that later pledged allegiance toOsama bin Laden.[8] The group, based inKrefeld, includedChristian Ganczarski, who has been charged by the United States for his involvement in theGhriba synagogue bombing.[9]
In 1999, al-Maghrebi left for Afghanistan, where he trained at the Al Farouq training camp.[4] He was pulled from training byKhalid Sheikh Mohammed, and was later reassigned to work at al-Qaeda's Media Committee.[10] According to theFBI, al-Maghrebi fled to Iran soon after the9/11 terrorist attacks.[2][3]
In 2012, he started serving as al-Qaeda's general manager in Afghanistan and Pakistan and ranAs-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media branch.[10]
On January 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Maghrebi as aSpecially Designated Global Terrorist, theU.S. Treasury’sOffice of Foreign Assets Control added him to theSpecially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.[10] The Department of State'sRewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $7 million for information on al-Maghrebi.[1] On April 7, 2022, he was designated as a terrorist entity by theMoroccan Ministry of Justice, who claimed that he was living in Iran.[5][11]
Al-Maghrebi is seen as a potential successor toSaif al-Adel as Emir of al-Qaeda.[12][13][14]
Abattay is married to Ayman al-Zawahiri's daughter,Nabila.[15] Abbatay was reported to be living in theKabul house where al-Zawahiri was killed in 2022.[6]
