– SAIF AL-ADEL

 

* Saif Al-Adel – ‘Sword of Justice’ is, probably, the nickname of the Egyptian former army officer Muhammad Ibrahim Makkawi. He was born on 04/11/1960 or 1963. Saif Al-Adel was suspected, but not convicted, of involvement in the assassination of President Anwar Saadat, on 10/06/1981. Saif Al-Adel took the same course as other fellow militant Egyptians and left Egypt in 1988 to join the Mujahidin (Holy Warriors) in Afghanistan.  

Saif Al-Adel joined Al Qaeda with Ayman Al Zawahiri already from 1992 in Sudan. He, with the help of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, provided military and intelligence training to members of Al Qaeda in Sudan and in Somalia to Islamic militants who fought the Americans during operation “Restoring Hope” and the battle on Mogadishu in 1993. Saif Al-Adel used few nicknames such as Ibrahim Al-Madani (Ibrahim the civilian) or Omar al-Sumali (Omar from SOMALIA ).

After the 07/08/1998 attack, on USA embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Saif Al-Adel was put on the list of most wanted by USA authorities.  He was suspected to be a member of Al Qaeda military committee, alongside Mohammed Atef , who ordered and supervised the preparations to the attack although Saif Al-Adel was, most likely, already in Afghanistan training volunteers in terror affairs. The U.S. State Department offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture.

Saif Al-Adel was also involved in planning the attack on USS Cole in the Gulf of Aden, Yemen, on 10/12/2000.

According to Intelligence sources, immediately after operation ‘Absolute Justice’, Saif Al-Adel, with other senior Al Qaeda operatives – Suleiman abu Ghaith , Saad Bin Laden, one of Osama Bin Laden’s sons, and others fled to Iran. In Iran Saif Al-Adel was, at first, hosted by the IRANIAN Revolutionary Guard but after international pressure to extradite him, Saif Al-Adel and his associates were put in jail in Iran in 01/2004 (see – IRANS Interest ).

** According to German unproved sources Saif Al-Adel was released, on 07/28/2006, providing that he will assist in terror activities against Israel. That claim was never proved or supported by any other intelligence.

** According to the British daily ‘The Telegraph’, on Thursday 11/11/2010, Osama Bin Laden has appointed Saif Al-Adel as the new commander to spearhead Al Qaeda’s offensive against the West (see – al-Adels new job ).

** Intelligence sources suggested, on Tuesday 05/17/2011, that following Abbottabad Raid and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, on 05/01/2011, Saif Al-Adel was operating as interim leader of Al Qaeda until Ayman Al Zawahri will officially succeed Osama Bin Laden (see – Adels Nomination).

** Egyptian national Mohamed Ibrahim Makkawi was arrested at Cairo International Airport, on Wednesday 02/29/2012 afternoon, upon his arrival from the UAE on suspicions that he was in fact Seif Al-Adel. According to the airport source, Makkawi first arrived in the UAE from Pakistan. He entered the Gulf country on a temporary passport, which had been issued in Islamabad on 02/28/2012.

French news agency AFP reported that Egyptian security officials had stated definitively that Makkawi was not, in fact, an Al Qaeda operative. “He is wanted for involvement with the Al-Jihad group. He is not Seif Al-Adel,” a source at the National Security apparatus was quoted as saying.

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**  According to media reports Saif al-Adel  was released from Iranian detention in mid 2015 in exchange for the  Iranian diplomat, Nour-Ahmad Nikbakht,  

 

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