Al-Liby, Anas (1964–)

aka Anas al-Sabai, Anas al-Libi, Nazih

al-Raghie, Nazih Abdul Hamed al-Raghie

Anas al-Liby, born in Tripoli, Libya, is often described as the computer wizard of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. He was indicted in December 2000 for conspiring to kill Americans in the East African embassy attacks in 1998. Al-Liby has also been linked to the Libyan Islamic Group, the militant anti-Qaddafi organization.

Al Qaeda, an international terror network that is widely believed to have carried out the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, has also worked against non-Islamic governments in the Middle East. However, the extent of al-Liby's recent involvement with Al Qaeda is unclear. Testimony in the East African embassy bombings trial suggested that al-Liby quarreled with bin Laden over financial matters and split with him during the late 1990s. The U.S. indictment charges that al-Liby discussed the possibility of an attack on the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, with coconspirator Ali Mohamed in 1993. Mohamed, who cooperated with U.S. prosecutors, described al-Liby's [Page 16]involvement during his own guilty plea in October 2000. Mohamed also said that he and al-Liby reviewed other possible targets in Nairobi. The indictment also charges that al-Liby conducted visual and photographic surveillance of the Kenyan embassy.

In 1995, al-Liby relocated to Britain. The FBI maintains that he was granted political asylum, while British officials have said that his immigration status was never determined. Al-Liby was living in relative obscurity in England when bomb-laden cars exploded at the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998. The bombs exploded just minutes apart, killing a combined total of 224 people and turning both embassies into partial ruins.

After al-Liby was indicted by the United States, British police raided his Manchester apartment to find that he had fled. However, they discovered a computer with a terrorist training manual called Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants. The manual included tutorials on car bombing, sabotage, torture, and disguise.

Al-Liby was captured during the 2001 assault on Al Qaeda's cave systems in eastern Afghanistan. Before being taken into U.S. custody, al-Liby was listed by the FBI as one of its “most wanted terrorists” with 12 others linked to the East African embassy bombings. U.S. officials have not yet announced when and how al-Liby will be tried for his alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings or what if any his suspected role was in the September 11, 2001, attacks.