U.S. Treasury Department Sanctions Three Senior Al-Qaeda Terrorists

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced the designation of three senior al-Qa’ida leaders based in Pakistan: leader and commander Abu Yahya al-Libi; senior leader ‘Abd al-Rahman Ould Muhammad al-Husayn Ould Muhammad Salim; and al-Qa’ida facilitator, courier and operative Mustafa Hajji Muhammad Khan.

“We are targeting two of al-Qa’ida’s top strategists and commanders in Pakistan, as well as a senior facilitator, striking at the heart of al-Qa’ida’s remaining leadership and its operations in Pakistan,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.

As a result of today’s action – taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 – U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with today’s designees and any assets they may hold under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.

Al-Libi is a senior al-Qa’ida leader and commander in Pakistan responsible for the supervision of other senior al-Qa’ida officials. Referred to as al-Qa’ida’s propaganda chief, al-Libi is one of the group’s most prominent public figures and plays a key role in al-Qa’ida’s media operations. As of April 2010, al-Libi had released sixty-eight messages on behalf of al-Qa’ida, and was second in public visibility only to Ayman al-Zawahiri. As an authoritative voice for al-Qa’ida, al-Libi has urged Pakistanis to attack their government.

Al-Libi was also deputy to now-deceased al-Qa’ida senior leader Atiyah ‘Abd al-Rahman, who was killed in an explosion last month. As of 2010, al-Libi commanded a group of al-Qa’ida fighters and provided financial assistance to al-Qa’ida fighters in Afghanistan. Al-Libi was also a field commander in Afghanistan and an instructor at an al-Qa’ida training camp.

Salim, also known as Younis al-Mauritani, is a Pakistan-based senior al-Qa’ida leader who was in charge of al-Qa’ida’s external operations as of mid-2010. He participated in the formation of the al-Qa’ida affiliate organization al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). As of late 2010, Usama bin Laden devoted most of al-Qaida’s funds to a plan developed by Salim to ostensibly damage the economy of Europe. As of mid-2010, Salim was in Pakistan to speak to individuals regarding their participation in al-Qa’ida operations in Europe.

Salim joined the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) in 2001. He had served as a communications link between the GSPC and al-Qa’ida and was sent by GSPC leaders to Pakistan to forge the 2007 merger with al-Qa’ida that formed AQIM.

As of late 2009, Salim provided weapons and explosives training to GSPC members in Mali, including the use of AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. In 2006, Salim provided basic weapons training on the AK-47 assault rifle to GSPC members. Salim has fought for the GSPC in Mauritania, and has been wanted in Mauritania since late 2009 for planning a 2005 GSPC attack against the Mauritanian military and for forging the merger between the GSPC and al-Qa’ida.

The Pakistani military reported on Monday that Salim was arrested near Quetta, Pakistan.

Khan has acted as an al-Qa’ida facilitator, courier and operative since at least 2003. As of 2010, Khan facilitated activities for senior Pakistan-based al-Qa’ida operatives. Khan has also been active in facilitating the travel of al-Qa’ida members, including escorting an individual to meet with another al-Qa’ida member in 2009. On al-Qa’ida’s behalf, Khan recruited a facilitator who helped him move people and money between Gulf countries and Pakistan. In 2007, Khan helped al-Qa’ida reestablish logistic support networks in Pakistan.

Khan once served as a messenger between al-Qa’ida and former al-Qa’ida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In 2003, he accepted a senior al-Qa’ida leader’s request to serve as an al-Qa’ida representative to al-Zarqawi and deliver a message to al-Zarqawi in Iraq. Khan attempted to deliver a letter from al-Zarqawi to Usama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, but was captured with the letter, which never reached bin Laden or al-Zawahiri.

AKA:                          Abu Yahya Sheikh Yahya

AKA:                          Abu Yahya Yunis al Sahrawi

AKA:                          Hasan Muhammad Abu Bakr Qa’id

AKA:                          Muhammad Hassan Qayed

AKA:                          Mohammad Hassan Abu Bakar

AKA:                          Hasan Qa’id

AKA:                          Muhammad Hasan al-Libi

AKA:                          Abu Yunus Rashid

DOB:                        1963

POB:                         Libya

Nationality:               Libyan

AKA:                          Abdarrahmane ould Mohamed el Houcein ould Mohamed Salem

AKA:                          Yunis al-Mauritani

AKA:                          Younis al-Mauritani

AKA:                          Sheikh Yunis al-Mauritani

AKA:                          Shaykh Yunis the Mauritanian

AKA:                          Salih the Mauritanian

AKA:                          Mohamed Salem

AKA:                          Youssef Ould Abdel Jelil

AKA:                          El Hadj Ould Abdel Ghader

AKA:                          Abdel Khader

AKA:                          Abou Souleimane

AKA:                          Chingheity

DOB:                         1981

POB:                          Saudi Arabia

Nationality:               Mauritanian

AKA:                          Hassan Ghul

AKA:                          Hassan Gul

AKA:                          Hasan Gul

AKA:                          Khalid Mahmud

AKA:                          Ahmad Shahji

AKA:                          Mustafa Muhammad

AKA:                          Abu Gharib al-Madani

AKA:                          Abu-Shaima

AKA:                          Abu-Shayma

DOB:                         August 1977

Alt. DOB:                   September 1977

Alt. DOB:                   1976

POB:                           Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Alt. POB:                    Sangrar, Sindh Province, Pakistan

Nationality:                Pakistani

Nationality:                Saudi​