Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal
Mohammed al-Ahdal | |
|---|---|
محمد الأهدل | |
| 2st Leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen | |
| In office 2002 – 25 November 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Abu Ali al-Harithi |
| Succeeded by | Nasir al-Wuhayshi |
| 1st Deputy Leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen | |
| In office 2000 – 3 November 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Unknown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal 1971 (age 53–54) Medina, Saudi Arabia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Al-Qaeda (1990s–2002) Al-Qaeda in Yemen (2000–2002) |
| Years of service | 1980s–2002 |
| Rank | Leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen |
| Battles/wars | |
Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal (born 1971), also known by his nom de guerre Abu Issam al-Makki, is a Saudi Arabian-born Yemeni and former Islamist militant who was the second leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQY) from 2002 until his arrest in 2003.
A veteran of the wars in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya, al-Adhal moved to Yemen in 2000 after being deported from Saudi Arabia due to his connections with Osama bin Laden. Joining AQY in the same year, al-Ahdal was described as the second highest-ranking member of the group, with connections to financing the USS Cole bombing in October 2000 and MV Limburg bombing in October 2002.
Al-Ahdal assumed leadership of AQY after the death of Abu Ali al-Harithi in November 2002. He was arrested by Yemeni authorities on 15 November 2003, and was sentenced to prison for three years in 2006. He was released later that December.