Ali bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi (9 March 1986 – 15 June 2015), known asAbu Zubayr al-Tunisi, was aTunisian Islamic militant and a senior leader in theIslamic State. He was also a suspect in the2012 Benghazi attack.
He was born on 9 March 1986 in eitherAriana orTunis,Tunisia.
He was a member ofAnsar al-Sharia (Tunisia) and active in recruitment of foreign fighters as well as being involved in arms smuggling. He was detained and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for planning terrorist acts in 2005 in Tunisia.
In October 2012 he was arrested inTurkey and extradited toTunisia on terrorism charges and possible links to theattack on the U.S. consulate inBenghazi. He was making his way toSyria at the time.
In December 2012,Federal Bureau of Investigation agents questioned him about the Benghazi attack.Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia) stalked the agents during their time in Tunisia. The group posted their pictures online while condemning the Tunisian government for allowing the FBI to interview Harzi. In the same month, the group released a video discussing Harzi's case and confirming the FBI's role in his questioning.[1]
On 8 January 2013, he was released because of a lack of evidence. Ansar al-Sharia posted a video celebrating Harzi's release. Harzi spoke in the video which showed him being congratulated by his fellow jihadists.[2]
He was sanctioned by theUnited States Department of the Treasury on 14 April 2015.[3]
He was listed by theUnited Nations Security Council on 10 April 2015.[4]
He was killed in an airstrike inMosul,Iraq on 15 June 2015.[5][6]
His brother, Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi, known asAbu Umar al-Tunisi, was also an Islamic militant with theIslamic State. He was killed inSyria on 16 June 2015, the day after the death of his younger brother. Their father's name is Taher Ouni Harzi while their mother's name is Borkana Bedairia.[citation needed]
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