
Briefs

Salaheddin Faroughi: A Profile of the Baloch Emir of Jaish-al-Adl
Executive Summary Salaheddin Faroughi (alias Abdolrahim Mollahzadeh) is the emir of Jaish-al-Adl (JAA), a militant group seeking autonomy or an independent state for the Baloch people of Iran and Pakistan. JAA was the proximate cause of the most recent series of cross-border fights between the... MORE

Marwan Barghouti: Will Palestinian Prisoner Pursue an Agreement with Israel?
Executive Summary Marwan Barghouti is a Palestinian leader serving multiple life sentences in Israeli prison for his role in the second intifada. Hamas has included his name at the top of their list of prisoners to be exchanged for hostages taken in the October 7,... MORE

Ikramul Haque: From Madrassa Student to AQIS Recruiter in India and Bangladesh
Executive Summary Ikramul Haque, deputy head of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and head of the group's propaganda wing, was arrested in Bangladesh in May 2023. His story of recruitment and radicalization highlights AQIS’s cross-border coordination and recruitment in India and Bangladesh, particularly through... MORE

Majed al-Zeer: Hamas’s Alleged Frontman in Europe
Executive Summary German authorities claim that Berlin-based British citizen Majed al-Zeer plays a key role in Hamas's operations in Europe, citing his relations with Hamas figures and support for the group, though the extent remains unclear. Al-Zeer's involvement as director of the allegedly Hamas-connected Palestinian... MORE

Jewel Ali: The Founder of Imam Mahmuder Kafela in Bangladesh
Executive Summary The charismatic leader of a new Bangladeshi terrorist group called Imam Mahmuder Kafela (IMK), Jewel Ali, was recently arrested. Despite his arrest, Ali’s ability to fundraise, organize, and promote his ideology on social media combine with the persistent popularity of his message to... MORE

Saleh al-Arouri: A Postmortem of One of Hamas’s Key al-Qassam Commanders in Lebanon
Executive Summary Hamas deputy leader and head of the West Bank al-Qassam Brigades Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a January 2024 Israeli drone strike while meeting with Hezbollah. He is the senior most Hamas leader killed by Israel since the start of the war. Al-Arouri... MORE

Mohammad Bazzi: West Africa-Based Hezbollah Money Launderer Arrested and Extradited
Executive Summary Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi is a prominent Hezbollah financier who operated money laundering schemes across Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East. He was arrested in Romania in February 2023 and subsequently extradited to the United States. The arrest of Bazzi and several other... MORE

Mikhail ‘Pitbull’ Turkanov: The Rise of Russian Soccer Hooligan Unit ‘Española’ in Ukraine
Executive Summary Mikhail "Pitbull" Turkanov is a prominent commander in the Española volunteer brigade, a former MMA fighter, and a Zenit Football Club hooligan with tattoos that include neo-Nazi imagery. Charismatic propaganda figures like Turkanov are able to appeal to highly nationalistic soccer hooligans who... MORE

Abdul Bari: Mastermind Behind ISKP’s Massacre of Hazara Shias Finally Arrested
Immediately after the fall of Mosul in June 2014 and the subsequent declaration of a “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State (IS) reached out to Islamist terrorist networks, cultivated contacts, and developed franchises in South Asia and Afghanistan. IS’s caliph, Abubakar al-Baghdadi, demanded all... MORE

Mousa Abu Marzouk: Hamas’s Top Spokesman, Diplomat, and Financier
Mousa Abu Marzouk is a founding member of Hamas, and is now one of its top diplomats and media personalities, though he was once a contender for the organization’s highest political office (Middle East Online, November 15, 2016; Al Jazeera, November 22). He is also... MORE