| Omar al-Faruq | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mahmoud Ahmad Mohammed Ahmad 1969[1] Iraq |
| Arrested | Bogor, Indonesia Indonesian authorities |
| Died | 25 September 2006(2006-09-25) (aged 36–37) Basra, Iraq |
| Citizenship | Iraqi |
| Detained at | Bagram Theater Internment Facility |
| Other name | Faruq al-Iraqi |
| Status | escaped custody, deceased |
Omar al-Faruq (Arabic:عمر الفاروق; 1969 – 25 September 2006), also spelled oral-Farouq oral-Farooq, bornMahmoud Ahmad Mohammed Ahmad, was an Islamic militant with high-profile connections withAl-Qaeda andJemaah Islamiyah inSoutheast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia.
Born in Iraq. Al-Faruq was believed to have joined Al-Qaeda in the early 1990s where he was trained in Afghanistan. Soon after he rose up through the ranks into becoming one ofOsama bin Laden's key lieutenants. US authorities believed Al-Faruq was behind the bomb and terror attacks that targeted embassies and thus, ordered his arrests when he was detected to have been entering Indonesia. After being captured inBogor by Indonesian special forces in 2002, he was immediately handed over to the United States.[2][3] Al-Faruq's capture was done using information derived from the capture ofAbu Zubaydah.[4] After his arrests, Al-Faruq later on revealed information about a plot to bomb a series of embassies and diplomatic compounds all across Southeast Asia, giving rise to the "yellow alert" of 10 September 2002.[3]
After his arrests, Al-Faruq was later transferred toBagram Theater Internment Facility in Afghanistan. In July 2005, Al-Faruqescaped from the prison alongside three other Al-Qaeda suspects. The U.S. government did not acknowledge his escape until November when it was revealed that the prosecutor cannot produce him as a witness when called by the defense attorneyMichael Waddington, in the trial of U.S. military sergeant, Alan Driver who was accused ofabuse at the prison.
On 25 September 2006, Al-Faruq was reported to have been killed by British soldiers that are operating inBasra. The operations took place in pre-dawn hours, involving more than 200 soldiers. There were no casualties from the security forces side.[5]
