The Profiles of Terrorists - Essay Example

Terrorist Profiles It is undeniable that the Terrorist incidents which the world has witnessed aimed somehow at inculcating terror and horror amidstpeople-be them civilians, non-civilians or whatsoever. Throughout the American history for example, Terrorism has been a very serious problem. The September 11 attacks, widely known as the 11th of September were actually a series of well-planned and highly organized suicide attacks made by al Qaeda Mujahedeen or fighters. In the following essay, I am going to spot the light on some profiles of the most prominent figures who have been involved in this tragic incident. From the very outset, I should outline that these terrorist subjects are wanted by America because they threaten its interests and utilities inside and outside. 1. Osama bin Laden: he is the founding father of al-Qaeda Organization and was famous for the 9/11 attacks on the United States. His Organization has been the major target of U.S war on Terrorism and was proclaimed the first wanted fugitive in the world. The concrete evidences we come up with in our investigations clearly demonstrate that Osama Bin Laden is the principal financier of al-Qaeda. “He became the chief suspect following the 1998 bombing of United States embassies in Dar es Salam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The Federal Bureau of Investigation distributed this wanted poster for bin Laden, making him one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals in the world.” 1 Like his disciples, bin Laden is believed to be hiding near the frontiers of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas. By terror, bin Laden was trying to force America “reject the immoral acts of fornicatio (and) homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling, and usury.”2 2. Ayman al-Zawahiri: (b. in 1951) he is “le cerveau d’al Qaeda or al Qaeda’s brain.”  He is a qualified surgeon, alleged “to be both Osama bin Laden’s closest adviser and his doctor.”3 Regarded as the mastermind who enabled al-Qaeda and its spiritual leader Osama bin Laden into creating appropriate instruments of mass murder, al-Zawahiri is classified the 22 men who are most wanted by the FBI. Often referred to as a “lieutenant” to Osama bin Laden though biographers describe him as the real “brains” of al-Qaeda,4 al-Zawahiri is charged with many crimes like attempting to assassinate the former Egyptian president Anwar Sadate, an attempt wherein the Mujahedeen disguised themselves as soldiers to reach Sadat in full view of Egyptian television. 5 Due to his chastisement in Egypt, al-Zawahiri would travel to Afghanistan and logistically support the Islamic Jihad group. He even cared much for the Taliban fighters wounded in the guerrilla war both against the Soviet Union and the United States. Al-Zawahiri was also indicted for being involved in the planning of the 1998 explosions of U.S embassies in East Africa wherein more than 200 people were killed and thousands were injured. Thus, for several years, al-Zawahiri has been much dynamic and active in operational planning within the al-Qaeda framework. According to the FBI, AL-Zawahiri has “controlled the cell in Yemen which attacked the U.S.S Cole in October 2001.”6 Almost all the time, al-Zawahiri would appear on satellite television network al-Jazeera to warn the American regime of any probable attacks or to severely criticize the Arab leaders who did succumb completely to the U.S president’s administration’s will. 3. Abou Ayyub al-Masri: (b. 1968) he is the right hand of the former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. When the latter was badly killed in a U.S assault in 2006, he was identified as being the most qualified candidate suitable for directing and commanding the Iraqi insurgency. 7 In 2005, the Iraqi government has issued a warrant for his arrest and the U.S. government has initially offered a huge sum of money as a reward for anyone leading to his capture. He is accused of manufacturing bombs and explosives in Iraq, especially truck and car bombs. It is reported that he was killed in 2006, but al-Qaeda authorities have denied the news. 4. Afia Siddiqi: (b.1972) she is from Karachi, Pakistan. She is indicted for having strong ties with al-Qaeda Organization. She is also charged with scheming to kill U.S officers and employees. She was arrested in 2008 for her suspicious conduct. She even tried to shoot a U.S military officer. According to Newsweek and FBI documents, Siddiqi’s husband, has bought some materials like body armor, night vision goggles and a galaxy of military manuals to forward them to Pakistan. After a long silence, her husband would publicly declare in an exclusive interview the following: “I was aware of Aafia’s violent personality and extremist views and suspected her involvement in Jihadi activities. My fear later proved to be true when during Uzair Paracha’s trial in the US in 2004, the real purpose of Aafia’s trip to the US (between December 23, 2002 and January 3, 2003) was revealed.” 5. Abu Taha al-Sudan: he is a great operative with much extensive training in explosives. Born in Sudan, Abu Taha has been the target of the American airstrikes on Somalia in 2007. He is believed to have traveled to Southern Lebanon where he trained alongside Hezbollah. He is also believed to be the finacier of the 1998 United States terrorist attacks. News of his death circulated in the media, yet still, there is no confirmation on that. 6. Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi: he is also known as Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi, the leader of al-Qaeda’s Islamic Sate of Iraq. After a two-month-long intelligence operation, he was caught in Baghdad on March 9, 2007. However, it was later claimed that the person captured was not al-Baghdadi. Some have even revealed that al-Baghadadi was a fictional character whose sole aim was to trigger some balance in U.S war against Iraq. Both the U.S intelligence and the Iraqi government were much confused and puzzled in discovering and deciphering who was Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi. This character has indeed remained so mysterious as his identity has been a source of much debate and controversy. 7. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: (b. either in 1964 or 1965) he was detained for committing acts of terrorism, including mass murder of civilians. Although he was based in Kuwait, Sheikh Mohammed was strongly attached to al-Qaeda Organization and he was accused of committing murders against U.S commission. After his detention at Guantanamo Bay, Shekih Mohammed unveiled that he was himself responsible for masterminding the 9/11, 2001 attacks. In a nutshell, we can say that the men mentioned above have really damaged many lives and killed many civilians. Hence, profiling, as a surveillance data technique, can help us document reliable information about these individual terrorists in order to notify the world public of the great danger they constitute for world peace and stability. Far from being a mere biographical approach to terrorists and terrorism, profiling is one optimal through which we can encompass and surround terrorists’ plans wherever they happen to be and understand how their network operates. Read More