Sulaiman Abu Ghaith
Encyclopedia
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (born December 14, 1965) is a Kuwait
i Islamist regarded as one of Al-Qaida's official spokesmen.
i invasion and occupation of Kuwait
. His sermons denouncing the occupation and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
gained him some degree of popularity amongst the Kuwaiti people. Following the defeat of Iraq, he turned his attention towards the Kuwaiti government and royal family
, denouncing the 1962 constitution and demanding the institution of Sharia
law. The Kuwaiti government subsequently removed him from the mosque and banned him from giving sermons, and he became a high school teacher of religion.
, where he met Osama bin Laden
and joined his Al-Qaeda organization. His affinity for public speaking and comparative youth put him at the head of Al-Qaeda's attempt to widen its appeal from ultra-conservative and mostly elderly clerics to the general population and especially the youth of majority-Muslim countries; in this capacity, he quickly became the organization's spokesman.
Adil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil
's Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Suliman Abu Ghaith was also a founder of Al Wafa al Igatha al Islamia
, a charity that the USA asserts provided a plausible front for al Qaeda's fund-raising efforts.
One of the allegations against Al Zamil, who was also accused of being a founder of al Wafa, was that he helped Abu Ghaith's family leave Afghanistan around the time of the attacks of 9-11.
. On October 10, 2001 he appeared on two widely circulated videos (first broadcast on al Jazeera
television) to defend the attacks and threaten reprisals for the subsequent US invasion of Afghanistan
, saying, "Americans should know, the storm of the planes will not stop... There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live." These statements caused the Kuwaiti government to strip him of his citizenship.
and Faiz al Kandari.
Anas al Kandari was a young Kuwaiti who fired upon a squad of marines, killing one, in the Faylaka Island attack
in 2002.
Faiz al Kandari is another Kuwaiti, who was held in extrajudicial detention
in Guantanamo from 2002 to 2008. In 2008 charges were prepared against him to be referred to a Guantanamo military commission
.
According to The Long War Journal in his book The Martyr's Oath, Stewart Bell asserted Sulieman recruited Anas al Kandari and the other shooter to launch the Faylaka Island attacks.
According to the Long War Journal, by 2002 Suleiman was living in Iran.
In July 2003, a Kuwaiti minister announced that the Iran
ian government was holding Abu Ghaith and that Kuwait had refused an offer from Iran to extradite him to Kuwait.
The Long War Journal described his detention as "a loose form of house arrest".
On September 28, 2010, it was reported by Kuwait officials that he was freed from Iran, in exchange for the release of Heshmatollah Attarzadeh, an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in November 2008, and returned to Afghanistan.
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
i Islamist regarded as one of Al-Qaida's official spokesmen.
Activities during the 1991 Gulf War
Abu Ghaith first gained attention during the 1990–1991 IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i invasion and occupation of Kuwait
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. His sermons denouncing the occupation and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
gained him some degree of popularity amongst the Kuwaiti people. Following the defeat of Iraq, he turned his attention towards the Kuwaiti government and royal family
Al-Sabah
The House of Al Sabah is the ruling family of Kuwait. They are a clan from the Anizah tribe which migrated to Kuwait in the early 18th century from Najd . They are also from the Utub tribe. After reaching Kuwait, they entered in an alliance with the other families of the Utub such as Al-Khalifa...
, denouncing the 1962 constitution and demanding the institution of Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
law. The Kuwaiti government subsequently removed him from the mosque and banned him from giving sermons, and he became a high school teacher of religion.
Arrival in Afghanistan in June 2000
In June 2000 he left Kuwait for AfghanistanAfghanistan
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...
, where he met 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...
and joined his Al-Qaeda organization. His affinity for public speaking and comparative youth put him at the head of Al-Qaeda's attempt to widen its appeal from ultra-conservative and mostly elderly clerics to the general population and especially the youth of majority-Muslim countries; in this capacity, he quickly became the organization's spokesman.
Alleged to be a founder of al Wafa
According to documents in the unclassified dossier fromAdil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil
Adil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil
Adel al Zamel is a citizen of Kuwait who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba....
's Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were established July 7, 2004 by order of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense...
Suliman Abu Ghaith was also a founder of Al Wafa al Igatha al Islamia
Al Wafa al Igatha al Islamia
Al Wafa is an Islamic charity listed in Executive Order 13224 as an entity that supports terrorism.United States intelligence officials state that it was founded in Afghanistan by Adil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil,Abdul Aziz al-Matrafi and Samar Khand....
, a charity that the USA asserts provided a plausible front for al Qaeda's fund-raising efforts.
One of the allegations against Al Zamil, who was also accused of being a founder of al Wafa, was that he helped Abu Ghaith's family leave Afghanistan around the time of the attacks of 9-11.
Appearance in an al Qaeda video news release after 9-11
He rose to worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. On October 10, 2001 he appeared on two widely circulated videos (first broadcast on al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
television) to defend the attacks and threaten reprisals for the subsequent US invasion of Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
, saying, "Americans should know, the storm of the planes will not stop... There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live." These statements caused the Kuwaiti government to strip him of his citizenship.
Alleged connection to the Faylaka Island attackers
According to The Long War Journal American officials assert that Sulieman attended al Qaeda's airport training camp with Anas al KandariAnas Al Kandari
Anas al-Kandari was a citizen of Kuwait suspected of being an associate of Osama bin Laden.Anas Al Kandari died in a firefight on Faylaka Island, with United States Marines on October 8, 2002....
and Faiz al Kandari.
Anas al Kandari was a young Kuwaiti who fired upon a squad of marines, killing one, in the Faylaka Island attack
Faylaka Island attack
In October 2002 two Kuwaiti citizens with ties to jihadist in Afghanistan launched theFaylaka Island attack against United States Marines.The Marines were on a training exercise on Failaka Island, an island off the cost of Kuwait, on a training exercise....
in 2002.
Faiz al Kandari is another Kuwaiti, who was held in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
in Guantanamo from 2002 to 2008. In 2008 charges were prepared against him to be referred to a Guantanamo military commission
Guantanamo military commission
The Guantanamo military commissions are military tribunals created by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 for prosecuting detainees held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps.- History :...
.
According to The Long War Journal in his book The Martyr's Oath, Stewart Bell asserted Sulieman recruited Anas al Kandari and the other shooter to launch the Faylaka Island attacks.
Presence in Iran 2002-2010
His whereabouts, as he moved around to escape capture by the United States in the following months, are unclear.According to the Long War Journal, by 2002 Suleiman was living in Iran.
In July 2003, a Kuwaiti minister announced that the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian government was holding Abu Ghaith and that Kuwait had refused an offer from Iran to extradite him to Kuwait.
The Long War Journal described his detention as "a loose form of house arrest".
On September 28, 2010, it was reported by Kuwait officials that he was freed from Iran, in exchange for the release of Heshmatollah Attarzadeh, an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in November 2008, and returned to Afghanistan.
External links
- "Under the shadow of spears", an article by Abu Ghaith, translated June 2002