Sari Muhammad Hasan Shihab, known asAbu Khalid al-Muhandis (1973 – 22 August 2019), was aJordanian national born in 1973 who was a member of the different groups that were founded byAbu Musab al-Zarqawi. He was one of the initial members of theJama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad organization which was founded by al-Zarqawi in 1999. Shihab was also known as Abu Safar and Suhayb.[1] Shihab was one of fiveal-Qaeda leaders who were released byIran in March 2015 in exchange for a kidnapped Iranian diplomat inYemen. The other four wereSaif al-Adel,Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah,Abu Khayr al-Masri andKhalid al-Aruri.[2]
According to one report, Sari Shihab was "involved in WMD programs and plots."[3]Sky News described Shihab and Al-Aruri as "The Iranians have also released two lesser known, though no less dangerous, operatives, both of Jordanian descent."[4]
Shihab was killed in an explosion inIdlib,Syria on August 22, 2019.[5]
