Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi | |
|---|---|
أبو البراء شرم الأزدي | |
| Born | Mohammed Abdullah |
| Other names | Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi |
| Citizenship | Yemeni |
| Organization |  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
Mohammed Abdullah (Arabic:محمد عبد الله), also known asAbu al-Baraa el-Azdi, is aYemeni[1] militant and member of theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Both names arenoms de guerre. He was reported to originally be a preacher who joined ISIL inSyria.
He rose to prominence in mid-November 2014 when ISIL leaderAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi appointed him Emir and leader of the city ofDerna inLibya, soon after thepartial takeover of the city by ISIL and declaration of theWilayah Barqah (Province of Eastern Libya).[2] He also became the city's top religious judge.[3]
ISIL regularly appoints foreigners to key government positions.[4]