Muhammad al-Zawahiri
Encyclopedia
Muhammad Rabee al-Zawahiri (born 1953) was sentenced to death by an Egyptian court, but instead continues to be held and interrogated by Egyptian security forces. He was one of 14 people subjected to extraordinary rendition
by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror
.
He is the younger brother of militant leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
.
, al-Zawahiri moved to Saudi Arabia and took work with a construction firm.
In 1981, his name was among those indicted in absentia
for the assassination of Anwar Sadat
after his brother implicated him in recruiting the Egyptians Mustafa Kamel Mustafa and Abdel Hadi al-Tunsi
while living in Saudi Arabia, but he was found not guilty of the charge. He joined the World Islamic Relief Organization, and traveled to Indonesia, Bosnia and Malawi where he helped build schools and medical clinics.
Married with six children, he moved to Yemen with his family, and then joined his older brother in Khartoum
, where al-Jihad had begun to congregate. But after the group was forced to leave, following the execution of the teenaged son of Ahmad Salama Mabruk
, Ayman went to Afghanistan while Muhammad took his family back to Yemen and began working with engineering contractors.
, but following his in absentia
conviction in the Returnees from Albania
trial, he was arrested in March or April 1999 and rendition
ed to Cairo. Here he was accused of conspiring with Khaled Abdul Samee.
His wife didn't contact the Egyptian embassy in Sanaa until October, and they confirmed his arrest. She was granted permission to return to Cairo with the children herself, and was detained and interrogated for three days before being released.
His younger brother, Hussain, was arrested while driving to work, while working at Multidiscovery, a Malaysian construction firm in late 1999 in a joint operation involving the CIA, Egyptian intelligence and Malaysian security forces.
to match against bodies found in Afghan caves hoping to identify one of the bodies as belonging to his older brother.
In February 2004, the al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper announced that they had discovered he was still alive and being held in the Tora prison, which was confirmed the following month by the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior, who also stated that he could be visited by his family in March. It was discovered that he had been beaten and tortured for nearly fives years by the Mukhabarat
, and Egypt announced they were re-convening a new tribunal to look at his case.
In April 2007, he and other Islamists pushed for a review of their sentences and sought commutation
based on revising their previously-held beliefs in the necessity of terrorism. He was represented by lawyer Montasser el-Zayat
.
In March 2011 he was released from prison in Egypt, however he was later re-arrested.
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
He is the younger brother of militant leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri is an Egyptian physician, Islamic theologian and current leader of al-Qaeda. He was previously the second and last "emir" of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded Abbud al-Zumar in the latter role when Egyptian authorities sentenced al-Zumar to life...
.
Life
A 1974 graduate of the engineering college at Cairo UniversityCairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
, al-Zawahiri moved to Saudi Arabia and took work with a construction firm.
In 1981, his name was among those indicted in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
for the assassination of Anwar Sadat
Anwar Sadat
Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981...
after his brother implicated him in recruiting the Egyptians Mustafa Kamel Mustafa and Abdel Hadi al-Tunsi
Abdel Hadi al-Tunsi
Abdel Hadi al-Tunsi was an alleged member of Egyptian Islamic Jihad.He was believed to be recruited into the group by Muhammad al-Zawahiri.-References:...
while living in Saudi Arabia, but he was found not guilty of the charge. He joined the World Islamic Relief Organization, and traveled to Indonesia, Bosnia and Malawi where he helped build schools and medical clinics.
Married with six children, he moved to Yemen with his family, and then joined his older brother in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, where al-Jihad had begun to congregate. But after the group was forced to leave, following the execution of the teenaged son of Ahmad Salama Mabruk
Ahmad Salama Mabruk
Ahmad Salam Mabruk was the alleged leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad's Azeri cell. He was one of 14 people subjected to extraordinary rendition by the CIA prior to the 2001 declaration of a War on Terror.-Life:...
, Ayman went to Afghanistan while Muhammad took his family back to Yemen and began working with engineering contractors.
Arrest
His Yemeni contractor work saw him frequently travel to the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, but following his in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
conviction in the Returnees from Albania
Returnees from Albania
The case of the Returnees from Albania was a massive criminal trial in an Egyptian military court from February to April 1999. The trial is one of the principal sources of information about Sunni terrorist groups in the 1990s, especially al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya and its offshoot Egyptian Islamic...
trial, he was arrested in March or April 1999 and rendition
Rendition
Rendition may refer to:*Rendition , a legal term meaning "handing over"*Extraordinary rendition by the United States, the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another*"Rendition" , an episode of Torchwood...
ed to Cairo. Here he was accused of conspiring with Khaled Abdul Samee.
His wife didn't contact the Egyptian embassy in Sanaa until October, and they confirmed his arrest. She was granted permission to return to Cairo with the children herself, and was detained and interrogated for three days before being released.
His younger brother, Hussain, was arrested while driving to work, while working at Multidiscovery, a Malaysian construction firm in late 1999 in a joint operation involving the CIA, Egyptian intelligence and Malaysian security forces.
Presumed death and later life
For several years, no news was released on Muhammad and his family presumed he had been executed in accordance with the sentence from the trial. In October 2001, the United States requested a sample of his DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
to match against bodies found in Afghan caves hoping to identify one of the bodies as belonging to his older brother.
In February 2004, the al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper announced that they had discovered he was still alive and being held in the Tora prison, which was confirmed the following month by the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior, who also stated that he could be visited by his family in March. It was discovered that he had been beaten and tortured for nearly fives years by the Mukhabarat
Mukhabarat
Mukhābarāt is the Arabic term for intelligence, as in intelligence agency. In the West, the term is sometimes used negatively, connotating repression, often by means of secret police or state terror, in Arab countries...
, and Egypt announced they were re-convening a new tribunal to look at his case.
In April 2007, he and other Islamists pushed for a review of their sentences and sought commutation
Commutation of sentence
Commutation of sentence involves the reduction of legal penalties, especially in terms of imprisonment. Unlike a pardon, a commutation does not nullify the conviction and is often conditional. Clemency is a similar term, meaning the lessening of the penalty of the crime without forgiving the crime...
based on revising their previously-held beliefs in the necessity of terrorism. He was represented by lawyer Montasser el-Zayat
Montasser el-Zayat
Montasser el-Zayat or Muntasir al-Zayyat is an Egyptian lawyer and author whose former clients, according to press reports, included Ayman al-Zawahiri and al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya. He has written a book entitled Ayman al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him, which is strongly critical of al-Zawahiri. El-Zayat...
.
In March 2011 he was released from prison in Egypt, however he was later re-arrested.