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Egypt/Yemen: An individual named Qaed Salim Sunian al-Harithi, including status and location

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Author Direction des recherches, Commission de l'immigration et du statut de réfugié, Canada
Publication Date 28 January 2003
Citation / Document Symbol ZZZ41104.EF
Reference 2
Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Egypt/Yemen: An individual named Qaed Salim Sunian al-Harithi, including status and location, 28 January 2003, ZZZ41104.EF, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4e462a.html [accessed 29 May 2023]
DisclaimerThis is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Information on Qaed Salim Sunian al-Harithi could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, the Research Directorate was able to find information on Ali Qaed Sunian al-Harithi.

Ali Qaed Sunian al-Harithi, also known as Abu Ali (Dawn 6 Nov. 2002; AFX 5 Nov. 2002; The Boston Globe 5 Nov. 2002) was "reported to have served as one of ... Osama bin Laden's senior bodyguards and was one of bin Laden's key lieutenants in Yemen" (AFX 5 Nov. 2002). An article published in The Economist corroborates al-Harithi's involvement with al-Qaeda by identifying him as Osama bin Laden's "former bodyguard" and one of his "top lieutenants" (9 Nov. 2002).

According to several news reports, United States officials believed that al-Harithi was involved in the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden (Dawn 6 Nov. 2002; AFX 5 Nov. 2002; The Boston Globe 5 Nov. 2002).

The Sunday Times reported that al-Harithi was "one of the three most wanted [a]l-Qaeda operatives in Yemen" (12 Jan. 2003). However, al-Harithi was not on Pakistan's most wanted list, which was published in The Herald on March 2002, or on Egypt's most wanted list, which was posted by the Egypt State Information Service on its Website on 24 October 2001. His name also did not appear on the Canadian list of "Terrorist Entities" (Canada 1 Oct. 2002). He was however, wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (AFX 4 Nov. 2002).

In February 2002, The Christian Science Monitor cited a young tribe member in Yemen as stating that three men, one of whom was reportedly al-Harithi, had rented mud-brick houses in a remote village in November 2001, and had "asked for protection" (5 Feb. 2002). The article goes on to state that according to the young tribe member, the men "sneaked away" when the "government officials began asking questions" (The Christian Science Monitor 5 Feb. 2002).

On 3 November 2002, in the Yemeni province of Marib, al-Harithi was travelling with five others in a jeep that was "loaded with explosives," towards "an American-run" Hunt Oil facility (The Sunday Times 12 Jan. 2003). As they were travelling, their vehicle was hit by a missile, which was fired from a plane that was controlled by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (ibid.; Yemen Times 2-8 Dec. 2002; The Economist 9 Nov. 2002; Dawn 6 Nov. 2002; AFX 5 Nov. 2002; The Boston Globe 5 Nov. 2002; AFX 4 Nov. 2002). There were no survivors; al-Harithi had been killed (The Sunday Times 12 Jan. 2003; Yemen Times 2-8 Dec. 2002; The Economist 9 Nov. 2002; Dawn 6 Nov. 2002; AFX 5 Nov. 2002; The Boston Globe 5 Nov. 2002; AFX 4 Nov. 2002). According to Yemen Times, "[t]he Yemeni government [had] acknowledged [that] it had approved the operation, saying [that] it lacked the resources itself to bring the men to justice for crimes that would carry the death penalty in Yemen" (2-8 Dec. 2002).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

AFX European Focus. 5 November 2002. "CIA Drone Killed 6 al-Qaeda Suspects in Yemen - US Media Reports." (NEXIS)

_____. 4 November 2002. "Suspected al-Qaeda Member Killed in Yemen Car Blast - Report." (NEXIS)

The Boston Globe. 5 November 2002. Anthony Shadid. "US Hits Qaeda in Yemen, Fires Missile from Spy Plane, Killing 6 in Car." (NEXIS)

Canada. 1 October 2002. Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. List of Names Subject to the Regulations Establishing a List of Entities Made Under Subsection 83.05(1) of the Criminal Code or the United Nations Suppression of Terrorist Regulations. [Accessed 22 Jan. 2003]

The Christian Science Monitor. 5 February 2002. Danna Harman. "Yemen Fights Own Terror War." (NEXIS)

Dawn [Karachi, in English]. 6 November 2002. "CIA Used Pilotless Drone in Yemen Attack: TV." [Accessed 22 Jan. 2003]

The Economist. 9 November 2002. "No Holds Barred." (NEXIS)

Egypt. 24 October 2001. Egypt State Information Service. "Egypt's Most Wanted." [Accessed 20 Jan. 2003]

The Herald [Karachi, in English]. March 2002. Azmat Abbas. "Pakistan's Most Wanted."

The Sunday Times [London]. 12 January 2003. Hala Jaber and Bader ben Hirsi. "Yemen Turns on Enemy Within." (NEXIS)

Yemen Times. 2-8 December 2002. Issue 49, vol. XII. "A Warning in Response to Nov. 3 U.S. Missile Attack: Blast Rock Marib." [Accessed 22 Jan. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

Gunaratna, Rohan. May 2002. Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror. New York: Columbia University Press.

Journal of South Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (Spring 1999, vol. XXII, no. 3 to Winter 2002, vol. XXV, no. 2)

The Middle East (Jan. 1999 to Jan. 2003)

Middle East International (Jan. 1999, no. 591 to Dec. 2002, no. 689)

Middle East Report (Spring 1999 to Winter 2002)

World News Connection

Internet sites, including:

BBC

Eurasia Net

Federation of American Scientists (FAS)

Radio Free Europe

Yemen Gateway

Search engine:

Google

Copyright notice: This document is published with the permission of the copyright holder and producer Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). The original version of this document may be found on the offical website of the IRB at http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/. Documents earlier than 2003 may be found only on Refworld.

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