Mohammed Jamal Khalifa
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Jamal Khalifa (died 31 January 2007) was a Saudi Arabia
n businessman from Jeddah
who married one of Osama bin Laden
's sisters.
Khalifa started the Benevolence International Corporation in the Philippines in 1988, apparently to recruit people for the war against the Soviets Benevolence International Corporation claimed to have been an import-export company. In 1992, that group folded visible operations while another group known as the Islamic Benevolence Committee renamed itself to Benevolence International Foundation.
Khalifa ran the International Relations and Information Centre, where money was embezzled through the bank account of Omar Abu Omar, an employee at the centre, to an account under the name of Adel Sabah, an alias of Ramzi Yousef Khalifa started several other groups, including the Khalifa Trading Industries, which U.S. investigators stated were front organizations.
Khalifa was arrested in Saudi Arabia shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, but was released without charges being filed. Later that year, he publicly condemned Osama Bin Laden and publicly distanced himself from Al-Qaeda.
On January 31, 2007 Jamal Khalifa was assassinated in Madagascar when a group of at least 20 armed men attacked his house.
camps in Afghanistan
during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
. His business cards have been found in Yousef's Jersey City, New Jersey
apartment. They also have been found in Ramzi Yousef
's Manila
apartment.
Khalifa was the regional director of the Philippines
for the International Islamic Relief Organization
.
On December 1, 1994, Khalifa met Mohamed Loay Bayazid, the president of Benevolence International Foundation, in the United States
. Khalifa and Bayazid were arrested on December 14, 1994 in Mountain View, California on charges related to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
. Khalifa was planning to fly to the Philippines.
in southern Madagascar
.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n businessman from Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
who married one of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's sisters.
Overview
The first glimpse U.S. authorities had of Khalifa came in 1992, when his alias Barra appeared on a bomb-making manual carried by Ahmed Ajaj who entered the United States on a false passport.Khalifa started the Benevolence International Corporation in the Philippines in 1988, apparently to recruit people for the war against the Soviets Benevolence International Corporation claimed to have been an import-export company. In 1992, that group folded visible operations while another group known as the Islamic Benevolence Committee renamed itself to Benevolence International Foundation.
Khalifa ran the International Relations and Information Centre, where money was embezzled through the bank account of Omar Abu Omar, an employee at the centre, to an account under the name of Adel Sabah, an alias of Ramzi Yousef Khalifa started several other groups, including the Khalifa Trading Industries, which U.S. investigators stated were front organizations.
Khalifa was arrested in Saudi Arabia shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, but was released without charges being filed. Later that year, he publicly condemned Osama Bin Laden and publicly distanced himself from Al-Qaeda.
On January 31, 2007 Jamal Khalifa was assassinated in Madagascar when a group of at least 20 armed men attacked his house.
Other details
Khalifa is said to have trained with Osama Bin Laden in the mujahideenMujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
camps in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. His business cards have been found in Yousef's Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
apartment. They also have been found in Ramzi Yousef
Ramzi Yousef
Ramzi Yousef was one of the main perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a co-conspirator in the Bojinka plot. In 1995, he was arrested at a guest house in Islamabad, by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence and United States Diplomatic Security Service, then extradited to the...
's Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
apartment.
Khalifa was the regional director of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
for the International Islamic Relief Organization
International Islamic Relief Organization
The International Islamic Relief Organization, , is a charity based in Saudi Arabia. It is a member of The Conference of NGOs, where it serves on the board...
.
On December 1, 1994, Khalifa met Mohamed Loay Bayazid, the president of Benevolence International Foundation, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Khalifa and Bayazid were arrested on December 14, 1994 in Mountain View, California on charges related to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
1993 World Trade Center bombing
The 1993 World Trade Center bombing occurred on February 26, 1993, when a truck bomb was detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,336 lb urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device was intended to knock the North Tower into the South Tower , bringing...
. Khalifa was planning to fly to the Philippines.
Death
On 31 January 2007, Khalifa was assassinated by 25 to 30 armed men while visiting a gemstone mine he owned in Sakamilko, near the town of SakarahaSakaraha
Sakaraha is a town and municipality in Atsimo-Andrefana Region, Madagascar.On 31 January 2007, Saudi businessman Mohammed Jamal Khalifa was murdered by 25 to 30 armed men while visiting a gemstone mine he owned in Sakamilko, near the town of Sakaraha. He had recently called in local police to evict...
in southern Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
External links
- A Blueprint for 9/11: Western Intelligence Interested In Osama's Brother-In-Law
- Taking from the Poor Newsweek article exploring Khalifa's links to Abu SayyafAbu SayyafAbu Sayyaf also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya is one of several military Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern Philippines, in Bangsamoro where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country...
and Al Qaeda. - Treasury Department Designation of Benevolence International Foundation