Abdullah, Abdullah Ahmed (1963–)

aka Abu Mohamed al-Masri, Saleh, Abu Mariam

Born in Egypt, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah is an alleged Al Qaeda conspirator said to be a top lieutenant and adviser to Osama bin Laden. He was indicted by the United States for his role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of U.S. embassies in the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania. The FBI lists him as one of 22 “most wanted terrorists” for his role in those attacks.

According to the indictment, Abdullah is a member of Al Qaeda's tightest circle and sits on bin Laden's consultation council, or majlis al shura. Al Qaeda, an Arabic word meaning “The Base,” is a violent international network bent on driving the United States from Saudi Arabia or other Islamic countries. The group carried out the devastating September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. The group is known for establishing cells worldwide in areas where attacks are carried out, and often serves as an umbrella group for other militant organizations.

In the embassy bombings case, the U.S. indictment charged that prior to collaborating on the bombings, Abdullah was involved in other anti-U.S. activities in Africa. He and other Al Qaeda members allegedly provided military assistance and training to tribes opposed to U.N. and U.S. presence in Somalia during that country's civil unrest in 1993.

He later became involved in the Kenyan Al Qaeda operations. According to the indictment, Abdullah spied on the Kenyan embassy with coconspirators three days before the bombings. Having given the order for all Al Qaeda members to leave Kenya by August 6, Abdullah fled the country for Karachi, Pakistan.

On August 7, a bomb-laden pickup truck left the Nairobi villa rented by Al Qaeda operatives and drove to the U.S. embassy. In a synchronized attack 400 miles away, a truck bomb also approached the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The bombs exploded just minutes apart, killing a combined total of 224.

According to the indictment, Abdullah had also arranged for a fake passport for accused Kenyan embassy bomber Mohamed Sadeek Odeh. That document enabled Odeh to travel with other Al Qaeda members to Afghanistan to meet with bin Laden.

In the fall of 1998, the United States asserted that Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda operatives were responsible for the embassy bombings. As retaliation, President Clinton ordered air attacks on Al Qaeda training grounds in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical plant in the center of Khartoum, Sudan.

[Page 3]Three suspects in the bombing case pleaded guilty and cooperated with the prosecution. Their testimony was used in the 2001 trial that resulted in the conviction of four other men with ties to bin Laden. The four were sentenced to life in prison without parole. According to the FBI, Abdullah remains a fugitive. The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.