Briefs
Tunisia’s Most Wanted: A Profile of Lokman Abu Sakhr
After the successful revolution of 2011 that overthrew long-standing dictator Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has gone through a complex transition period, whose end is still far from over. In this changing context, jihadist terrorism has increasingly become an issue for the Tunisian authorities. Although... MORE
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani: The Syrian Face of ‘Islamic State’
One of the major pieces of advice that jihadist ideologues have been giving their followers in the new areas where they are operating is to make local members leaders in order to reassure their local hosts and convince them to adopt their jihadist ideology. Abu... MORE
Fugitive Egyptian Militant Faisal Suliman Salma al-Mahsna Killed in Raid
In July, Egyptian security forces raided the house of Faisal Suliman Salma al-Mahsna, a leading jihadist, after failing to find him for eight months. Al-Mahsna, 38, was shot to death at his house in Ismaliya province after a 30-minute exchange of fire with police. He... MORE
Ginbot 7 and Andergachew Tsege: Ethiopian Opposition Leader and Quasi-Terrorist
On July 8, the Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and Federal Police Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce announced the arrest of Andergachew Tsege, the secretary-general of terrorist group Ginbot 7 (“May 15” in Amharic). Ethiopia’s intelligence agency tipped off its Yemeni counterpart about Tsege’s arrival... MORE
Lavdrim Muhaxheri: Kosovo’s Link to the Islamic State
On July 29, a series of photos posted to Lavdrim Muhaxheri’s Facebook account showed the 25-year-old Kosovar-Albanian jihadi combatant beheading a young Iraqi teenager (Gazeta Tema [Tirana], July 29). The photos sparked outrage among government officials and the public in Kosovo, reflecting the strong security... MORE
The Terrorist Next Door: Pakistan’s Hammad Adil
Early on August 30, 2013, a large contingent of the Anti-Terrorist Squad of Islamabad’s Capital Territory Police along with officials from intelligence agencies, the Special Branch and Criminal Investigations Departments, raided the house of Muhammad Adil, a property dealer, in a suburb of Islamabad. The... MORE
Boko Haram’s ‘Borno Kidnapping Duo’: Hafsat Bako and Babuji Yaari
Boko Haram militants dressed in Nigerian military fatigues kidnapped 276 girls, almost all of them Christians, from a secondary school in Chibok in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State on April 15, 2014. Boko Haram leader Abubakr Shekau claimed responsibility for the attack in a split-screen video... MORE
Prophet Under Arms: A Profile of the Niger Delta’s ‘Ex-General’ Reuben Wilson
Reuben Wilson, a former commander in the loosely organized and allegedly disbanded Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), is threatening to block oil production in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria if the current president, Goodluck Jonathan, is prevented from running for... MORE
From Physician to Separatist Icon: Baloch Guerilla Leader Allah Nazar
A trained physician has emerged as the leading guerilla commander in the separatist insurgency in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan. Dr. Allah Nazar leads a group of secular nationalist militants who are fighting for independence for the Baloch minority. Their Balochistan Province homeland makes up... MORE
Mukhtar Robow “Abu Mansur”: Former Spokesman of al-Shabaab Caught in the Middle of Nowhere
When al-Shabaab grew to prominence during the Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006, Shaykh Mukhtar Robow “Abu Mansur” led the group’s propaganda war aimed at ousting Ethiopian forces and the Somali Transitional government troops from southern Somalia. He was the spokesman for the al-Qaeda inspired... MORE