Editing Abu Anas al-Libi

{{Short description|Libyan al-Qaeda member (1964–2015)}}
{{distinguish|text=Libyan alleged Al-Qaeda member [[Abd al-Muhsin Al-Libi]], known as Abu Anas}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|image       = 
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[File:Al-libi-ap-328.jpg]] -->
|caption     = Senior al-Qaeda suspect
|birth_name  = Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i
|birth_date  = 1964<ref name=FBI/>
|birth_place = [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], [[Kingdom of Libya]]
|death_date  = 2 January 2015 (aged 50)
|death_place = [[New York City]], United States
|spouse      = 
|parents     = 
|other_names = Nazih al Raghie, Anas al Sebai, Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie
|children    = 4
}}

'''Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i''',<ref group="name">{{langx|ar|نزيه عبد الحميد نبيه الرقيعي}}&nbsp; [[Libyan Arabic|Libyan]] pronunciation: {{IPA|ar|næˈziːh ˈʕæbdəl ħæˈmiːd næˈbiːh əlruˈqeːʕi|}}</ref> known by the alias '''Abu Anas al-Libi'''<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Raids in Libya and Somalia Strike Terror Targets|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/world/africa/Al-Qaeda-Suspect-Wanted-in-US-Said-to-Be-Taken-in-Libya.html?hp|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=5 October 2013|first1=David D.|last1=Kirkpatrick|first2=Nicholas|last2=Kulish|first3=Eric|last3=Schmitt|date=5 October 2013}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Abu Anas Al-Liby from Libya pronunciation (Voice of America).ogg|ˈ|ɑː|b|uː|_|ˈ|ɑː|n|ɑː|s|_|ɑː|l|_|ˈ|l|iː|b|i}} {{respell|AH|boo|_|AH|nahs|_|ahl|_|LEE|bee}}; {{langx|ar|ابو أنس الليبي}}&nbsp; <small>[[Libyan Arabic|Libyan]] pronunciation:</small> {{IPA|ar|ˈæbu ˈʔænæs əlˈliːbi|}}; 1964 – 2 January 2015), was a [[Libya]]n under indictment<ref name="indicted">[http://cns.miis.edu/reports/pdfs/binladen/indict.pdf Copy of indictment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906010435/http://cns.miis.edu/reports/pdfs/binladen/indict.pdf |date=6 September 2012 }} USA v. Usama bin Laden et al., Center for Nonproliferation Studies, [[Monterey Institute of International Studies]]</ref> in the United States for his part in the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]]. He worked as a computer specialist for [[al-Qaeda]].<ref name="sacredcows">{{cite book|last1=Benjamin|first1=Daniel|first2=Steven|last2=Simon|title=The Age of Sacred Terror|year=2002|location=New York|publisher=Random House|isbn=0-375-50859-7|url=https://archive.org/details/ageofsacredterro00benj}}</ref> He was an ethnic Libyan, born in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/05/20833640-us-commandos-raid-terrorist-hideouts-in-libya-somalia-capture-senior-al-qaeda-official?lite |title=US commandos raid terrorist hideouts in Libya, Somalia, capture senior al Qaeda official |work=[[NBC News]] |date=5 October 2013 |access-date=6 October 2013 |archive-date=24 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524184038/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/other/us-commandos-raid-terrorist-hideouts-libya-somalia-capture-senior-al-f8C11342488 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref>

His aliases in the indictment are '''Nazih al Raghie''' and '''Anas al Sebai'''. In the [[FBI]] and [[United States State Department]] wanted posters,<ref name=FBI/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/wanted_captured/index.cfm?page=Al_Liby |title=Wanted Poster on al-Liby |access-date=26 April 2007 |publisher=Rewards for Justice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905125917/http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/wanted_captured/index.cfm?page=Al_Liby |archive-date=5 September 2006 }}</ref> another variant of his name is transliterated '''Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie'''.

The indictment accused al-Libi of surveillance of potential [[United Kingdom|British]], [[France|French]], and [[Israel]]i targets in [[Nairobi]], in addition to the American embassy in that city, as part of a conspiracy by [[al-Qaeda]] and [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]].

==Involvement with al-Qaeda==
Al-Libi was believed to have been tied to [[al-Qaeda]] since its 1994 roots in [[Sudan]].<ref name="seeds"/> In 1995, al-Libi was granted [[political asylum]] in the [[United Kingdom]], after a failed Al-Qaeda plot to assassinate [[Hosni Mubarak]], then president of [[Egypt]]. An Egyptian request for extradition was declined on the grounds that al-Libi would not receive a fair trial. In 1996, MI6 allegedly paid a [[Libya]]n Al-Qaeda cell to kill [[Muammar Gaddafi|Colonel Gaddafi]]. Al-Libi would have been allowed to stay in return for aiding the alleged plot, which was unsuccessful.

In 1999, al-Libi was arrested by [[Scotland Yard]] and interrogated. However, he was released because he had cleared his hard drive and no evidence could be found to hold him. He evaded a team that was sent to follow him and fled to [[Afghanistan]]. His flat in [[Manchester]], where he was a student, was searched by police, who discovered a 180-page handwritten manual, translated from Arabic to English, which became known as the [[Al Qaeda Handbook|Manchester Manual]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Gardham|first=David|title=CIA 'used Manchester manual to justify water boarding'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8833109/CIA-used-Manchester-manual-to-justify-water-boarding.html|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=28 October 2011|location=London}}</ref>

Al-Libi spoke [[Arabic (language)|Arabic]] and [[English (language)|English]]. He had a scar on the left side of his face.<ref name=FBI>{{cite web|title=Most wanted list web page for Anas Al-Liby |work=FBI |url=https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/terrorism-main-portlet/wanted/wanted_terrorists/anas-al-liby |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831152513/http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/terrorism/terrorism-main-portlet/wanted/wanted_terrorists/anas-al-liby |archive-date=31 August 2013 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref> Because he was tall and bore a passing resemblance to [[Osama bin Laden]], he was often used as a [[decoy]] when Bin Laden traveled.<ref name="seeds">{{cite book|last=Ressa|first=Maria|title=Seeds of Terror|year=2003|location=New York|publisher=Free Press|isbn=0-7432-5133-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/seedsofterroreye00ress/page/165 165]|url=https://archive.org/details/seedsofterroreye00ress/page/165}}</ref>

==Conflicting reports of whereabouts==
In January 2002, news reports stated that al-Libi had been captured by American forces in [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1717297.stm |title=Who's who in al-Qaeda|work=[[BBC News]]|date=19 February 2003|access-date=9 October 2013}}</ref> In March 2002, it was reported that he had been arrested by the [[Sudan]]ese government and was being held in a prison in [[Khartoum]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1881397.stm Top al-Qaeda man 'held in Sudan'], ''BBC News'', 19 March 2002</ref> U.S. officials soon denied those reports<ref>[http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=105001796 I'm Not the Man You're Looking For], ''Wall Street Journal'', James Taranto, 20 March 2002</ref> and al-Libi was still sought.<ref name=FBI/>

Al-Libi had been on the USA's list of [[FBI Most Wanted Terrorists|Most Wanted Terrorists]] since its inception on 10 October 2001. The [[United States Department of State]], through the [[Rewards for Justice Program]], offered up to [[USD|US$]]5,000,000 (formerly $25,000,000) for information about the location of Abu Anas al-Libi.<ref name="rfjLiby">[http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/wanted_captured/index.cfm?page=Al_Liby Wanted Poster on al-Liby (English)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905125917/http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/wanted_captured/index.cfm?page=Al_Liby |date=5 September 2006 }}, Rewards for Justice</ref>

In February 2007, a [[Human Rights Watch]] document claimed that al-Libi and others "may have once been held" in secret detention by the [[CIA]].<ref name="HRWLiby">[http://hrw.org/reports/2007/us0207/us0207web.pdf Ghost Prisoner], Human Rights Watch, February 2007</ref>

On 7 June 2007, al-Libi, who remained on the [[FBI Most Wanted Terrorists]] list, was listed as a possible CIA "secret prisoner" by [[Amnesty International]], without providing details or evidence.<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr51/093/2007/en/ USA: Off the Record. U.S. Responsibility for Enforced Disappearances in the "War on Terror"]  [[Amnesty International]], 7 June 2007</ref>

In September 2012, [[CNN]] reported that al-Libi returned to [[Libya]] after being imprisoned in [[Iran]] for seven years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/27/exclusive-senior-al-qaeda-figure-living-in-libyan-capital/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Senior al Qaeda figure 'living in Libyan capital'|agency=[[CNN]]|date=27 September 2012|access-date=17 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028131543/http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/27/exclusive-senior-al-qaeda-figure-living-in-libyan-capital/|archive-date=28 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/10362374/Al-Qaeda-leader-seized-in-Libya-was-innocent-pizza-restaurant-worker-in-Britain-son-says.html|location=London|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|first=Richard|last=Spencer|title=Al-Qaeda leader seized in Libya was innocent pizza restaurant worker in Britain, son says |date=7 October 2013|access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref>

==Captured by the United States==
[[File:USS San Antonio sails by USS Kearsarge. (8591437943).jpg|thumb|The USS San Antonio (LPD 17) in March 2013]]
Al-Libi was captured in [[Tripoli, Libya]], on 5 October 2013 by [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[Delta Force]] operators, with the assistance of [[FBI]] agents and [[CIA]] officers. He was seized in a pre-dawn raid and removed from Libya. The [[United States Navy|US Navy]]'s [[United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group|DEVGRU]] conducted a [[2013 raid on Barawe|simultaneous raid in Somalia]] targeting the alleged mastermind of the [[Westgate shopping mall attack]] in [[Kenya]], possibly to avoid either action sending the other target into hiding.<ref>{{cite news|title=Man Sought In '98 Attacks on Embassies Is Seized|url=http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/footage-shows-the-58-tense-seconds-it-takes-us-commandos-to-abduct-a-libyan-alqaeda-operative/story-fnh81ifq-1226823368009?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes|work=The New York Times|access-date=5 October 2013|archive-date=21 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321075907/http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/footage-shows-the-58-tense-seconds-it-takes-us-commandos-to-abduct-a-libyan-alqaeda-operative/story-fnh81ifq-1226823368009?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Embassy bombings figure nabbed by Delta Force in Libya|agency=CBS News|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57606209/embassy-bombings-figure-nabbed-by-u.s-forces-in-libya/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007090728/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57606209/embassy-bombings-figure-nabbed-by-u.s-forces-in-libya/|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=David D. Kirkpatrick|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/alliby-capture-a-long-wait-for-us/article5207084.ece|title=Al-Libi capture, a long wait for U.S. |work=The Hindu|date=6 October 2013|access-date=9 October 2013|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> A day after Al-Libi was captured, he was in military custody on the ship [[USS San Antonio (LPD-17)|USS ''San Antonio'']] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref>{{cite news|title=U.S. Said to Hold Qaeda Suspect on Navy Ship|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/world/africa/a-terrorism-suspect-long-known-to-prosecutors.html?emc=edit_na_20131006&_r=0|work=The New York Times|first1=Benjamin|last1=Weiser|first2=Eric|last2=Schmitt|date=6 October 2013|access-date=7 October 2013}}</ref> On 10 February 2014, a 30 seconds [[CCTV|CCTV video]] showing U.S. commandos capturing al-Libi was published by ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/10/world/meast/anas-al-libi-capture-video/|agency=CNN|title=Taken in 30 seconds: Video shows U.S. capture of suspect Anas al-Libi|date=11 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-capture-of-terror-suspect-allibi-seen-in-rare-video/ |title=U.S. capture of terror suspect al-Libi seen in rare video|first=David|last=Martin|agency=[[CBS News]]|date=10 February 2014|publisher=[[CBS Broadcasting|CBS]]|location=New York|access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> According to strategist and counterinsurgency expert [[David Kilcullen]], the collapse of [[Ali Zeidan]]'s government and the ensuing "fragmentation of Libya [...] resulted, in part, from the raid al-Libi's capture".<ref>D. Kilcullen, ''Blood year: terror and the Islamic State'', Quarterly Essay '''58''' (2015), p.78 ISSN 1832-0953.</ref>{{Explain|date=February 2025}}

===Court appearance===
On 15 October 2013, al-Libi appeared in a [[Manhattan]] [[United States federal court|federal court]] and pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges, including helping to plan the U.S. embassy bombings in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Abu Anas al Libi, al Qaeda suspect nabbed in Libya, pleads not guilty to terrorism charges|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57607598/abu-anas-al-liby-al-qaeda-suspect-nabbed-in-libya-pleads-not-guilty-to-terrorism-charges/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015210229/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57607598/abu-anas-al-liby-al-qaeda-suspect-nabbed-in-libya-pleads-not-guilty-to-terrorism-charges/|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 October 2013|work=CBS News|access-date=16 October 2013}}</ref> He was held without bail due to concerns that he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.<ref name=CNN>{{cite news|last=Feyerick|first=Deborah|title=Alleged al Qaeda operative Abu Anas al Libi pleads not guilty|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/15/justice/al-libi-case/index.html?iref=allsearch|agency=CNN|access-date=16 October 2013|date=16 October 2013}}</ref> His trial, along with his co-defendant [[Khalid al-Fawwaz]], a.k.a. "Khaled Abdul Rahman Hamad al Fawwaz," a.k.a. "Abu Omar," a.k.a. "Hamad," was scheduled to begin on 3 November 2014, before Judge [[Lewis A. Kaplan]].<ref name=Doj2014-09-19/>

He was scheduled to stand trial in New York on 12 January 2015.<ref name="Benjamin Weiser and Michael S. Schmidt">{{cite news|author=Benjamin Weiser and Michael S. Schmidt|title=Qaeda Suspect Facing Trial in New York Over Africa Embassy Bombings Dies|quote=The man, Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, 50, who had liver cancer, was taken to a hospital on Wednesday from the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he was being held pending a trial that was to begin in Manhattan a week from Monday.|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=3 January 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/us/politics/qaeda-suspect-facing-trial-in-new-york-dies-in-custody.html|access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Kevin Johnson|title=Accused plotter of U.S. Embassy bombings dies in N.Y.|quote=His trial had been set to start Jan. 12.|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=3 January 2015| url =https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/03/embassy-bombings-suspect-dies-al-libi/21224685/|access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref>

==Death==
Abu Anas Al-Libi died on 2 January 2015 at a hospital in New York, aged 50, while in the United States custody.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/03/us/us-libya-al-libi/index.html |title=Alleged al Qaeda operative Abu Anas al Libi dies in U.S. hospital, family says |first=Jomana |last=Karadsheh |date=3 January 2015 |access-date=28 May 2019 |work=[[CNN]] |publisher=[[Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.]]}}</ref> He reportedly had liver disease as a result of [[hepatitis C]], and [[liver cancer]].<ref name="Benjamin Weiser and Michael S. Schmidt"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Jonathan Dienst and Robert Windrem| title =Suspected Plotter of U.S. Embassy Attacks Abu Anas Al-Liby Dies|work=[[NBC News]]|date=3 January 2015|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/suspected-plotter-u-s-embassy-attacks-abu-anas-al-liby-n278866|access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref> Upon his death his wife said "I accuse the American government of kidnapping, mistreating, and killing an innocent man. He did nothing."<ref>{{cite news|author=Maggie Michael |title=Libyan Charged in 1998 US Embassy Bombings Dies |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=3 January 2015 |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EMBASSY_BOMBINGS_AL_LIBI?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-03-08-49-57 |access-date=3 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104033251/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EMBASSY_BOMBINGS_AL_LIBI?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-01-03-08-49-57 |archive-date=4 January 2015 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Al-Libi was married and the father of four boys.<ref>{{cite news|title=Libyan accused in 1998 US embassy bombings dies before trial|publisher=[[Al Jazeera America]]|date=3 January 2015| url =http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/3/allibi-embassy-bombing.html|access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Chris Stephen|title=Son of Abu Anas al-Liby describes capture of al-Qaida suspect in Libya|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=8 October 2013|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/07/son-al-qaida-suspect-libya|access-date=3 January 2015}}</ref> He was believed to have been connected to Ramadan Abedi, the father of Salman Abedi, the perpetrator of the [[Manchester Arena bombing]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Chris Osuh |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/salman-abedi-manchester-arena-bomber-13601393 |title=The making of a monster: How Manchester boy Salman Abedi became a mass murderer |website=Manchester Evening News |date=17 September 2017 }}</ref>

==Aliases==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Romanised
!Arabic
!Notes
|-
| Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i
| نزيه عبد الحمد نبيه الرقيعي
| The surname is spelled الراجعي in the UN list.
|-
| Anas al-Libi
| أنس الليبي
|
|-
| Abu Anas al-Libi
| أبو أنس الليبي
| Some Arabic press reports referred to him by this name.
|-
| Anas al-Sebai
| أنس السباعي
|
|-
| Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Raghie
| نزيه عبد الحمد الراغي
|
|}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="name"}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|
refs=
<ref name=Doj2014-09-19>{{cite news|url=https://www.justice.gov/nsd/pr/international-terrorism-defendant-pleads-guilty-manhattan-federal-court |title=International Terrorism Defendant Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]] |date=19 September 2014 |location=[[Washington D.C.]] |access-date=5 January 2015 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006112251/http://www.justice.gov/nsd/pr/international-terrorism-defendant-pleads-guilty-manhattan-federal-court |quote=Two co-defendants, Khalid al Fawwaz, a.k.a. "Khaled Abdul Rahman Hamad al Fawwaz," a.k.a. "Abu Omar," a.k.a. "Hamad," and Anas al Liby, a.k.a. "Nazih al Raghie," a.k.a. "Anas al Sebai," are scheduled to commence trial on Nov. 3, 2014, before Judge Kaplan.  The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. |df=dmy }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{cite news
 |url=http://fox4kc.com/2013/10/07/after-interrogation-on-warship-al-libis-next-stop-could-be-u-s-court/ 
 |title=After interrogation on warship, al Libi's next stop could be U.S. court 
 |publisher=[[WDAF-TV|Fox4KC]] 
 |author=Andrew Lynch 
 |date=7 October 2013 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008034802/http://fox4kc.com/2013/10/07/after-interrogation-on-warship-al-libis-next-stop-could-be-u-s-court/ 
 |archive-date=8 October 2013 
 |access-date=9 February 2014 
 |url-status=live 
 |quote=But Forest questioned how much valuable intelligence al Libi would be able to provide his captors. A former jihadist associate told CNN it was unlikely al Libi was still playing an active role with the terrorist network, and his wife said he had been living a normal life and was seeking a job with the Libyan oil ministry. 
 |df=dmy 
}}

{{Al-Qaeda}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Libi, Anas al-}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:1998 United States embassy bombings]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Al-Qaeda leaders]]
[[Category:Deaths from hepatitis]]
[[Category:Deaths from liver cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:FBI Most Wanted Terrorists]]
[[Category:Libyan al-Qaeda members]]
[[Category:Libyan extrajudicial prisoners of the United States]]
[[Category:People designated by the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee]]
[[Category:People from Tripoli, Libya]]
[[Category:Prisoners who died in United States federal government detention]]
[[Category:Libyan people imprisoned in the United States]]