Adel, Saif al (1960 or 1963–)

Saif al Adel (aka Ibrahim al Madani; Muhamad Ibrahim Makkawi; Seif al Adel), an Egyptian, has been a high-ranking member of al Qaeda and head of Osama bin Laden's personal security force. In addition to providing personal security to bin Laden, Adel also served on al Qaeda's military committee, reporting to the group's military commander Muhammad Atef. He is thought to have trained several of the hijackers responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States. In 1998 the U.S. accused Adel of participating in the conspiracy to bomb U.S. embassies in East Africa. The FBI lists him as one of its “most wanted terrorists.”

Little is known about Adel's early life. Before joining al Qaeda, he was member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. That group, led by the Egyptian doctor Ayman al Zawahiri, merged with al Qaeda in the late 1990s. Zawahiri is now widely considered to be bin Laden's second in command.

According to the 1998 U.S. indictment in the embassy bombings case, Adel sits on al Qaeda's majlis al shura, or consultative council. This body discusses and approves all acts of terror carried out by the international al Qaeda network. al Qaeda, an Arabic term meaning “the base,” serves as an umbrella group for other terrorist organizations and has declared war against the United States. The indictment also charges Adel with providing military, explosives, and intelligence training to recruits for as long as a decade in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sudan. The indictment further charges that, in 1993, Adel and other al Qaeda operatives trained the tribe members who attacked U.N. peacekeeping forces in Somalia. An attack in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, led to the death of 18 U.S. Marines later that year.

Adel remains a fugitive, as do many other al Qaeda members indicted in the embassy case. The U.S. State Department offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading directly to his apprehension or conviction.