Abu Anas al-Libi

Abu Anas al-Libi
Born	Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i 1964 Tripoli, Libya
Died	New York, United States
Other names	Nazih al Raghie, Anas al Sebai, Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie
Occupation(s)	Computer expert, al-Qaeda member
Known for	Indicted for role in 1998 U.S. embassy bombings; al-Qaeda affiliation

Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i, better known as Abu Anas al-Libi (1964 – 2 January 2015), was a Libyan national indicted by the United States for his role in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies. Born in Tripoli, Libya, he functioned as a computer expert affiliated with al-Qaeda.

He was also identified by the names Nazih al Raghie and Anas al Sebai, with an alternative spelling being Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie. The charges against him included surveillance activities targeting potential British, French, Israeli, and American sites in Nairobi, linked to a conspiracy involving al-Qaeda and Egyptian Islamic Jihad.

Association with al-Qaeda

Al-Libi had connections to al-Qaeda dating back to its establishment in Sudan in 1994. After an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 1995, he was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom. An extradition request from Egypt was refused over concerns regarding the fairness of judicial proceedings. In 1996, it is alleged that MI6 supported a Libyan al-Qaeda faction aiming to eliminate Colonel Gaddafi, with al-Libi reportedly permitted to stay in the UK in return for assisting this failed operation.

In 1999, al-Libi was detained by Scotland Yard but released due to insufficient evidence after he erased data from his computer. Subsequently, he escaped to Afghanistan. Authorities searching his residence in Manchester discovered a 180-page handwritten document later called the Manchester Manual.

Fluent in both Arabic and English, al-Libi bore a distinctive scar and bore a resemblance to Osama bin Laden, frequently acting as his decoy during travel.

Discrepancies about his location

In early 2002, contradictory reports emerged regarding al-Libi’s capture: some stated he was apprehended by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, while others claimed Sudanese officials detained him in Khartoum. These assertions were denied by U.S. authorities, and he remained a fugitive.

Since its creation on 10 October 2001, al-Libi appeared on the USA's Most Wanted Terrorists list. The United States Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program initially offered up to $25 million for information leading to his capture, later reduced to $5 million.

A 2007 report by Human Rights Watch suggested that al-Libi might have been held secretly by the CIA. On 7 June 2007, Amnesty International included him among potential CIA "secret detainees," though details were scarce.

By September 2012, according to a CNN report, al-Libi had returned to Libya following seven years of imprisonment in Iran.

Apprehension by U.S. forces

On 5 October 2013, U.S. Army Delta Force operators, supported by FBI personnel and CIA officers, captured al-Libi during a pre-dawn raid in Tripoli, Libya. He was then extracted from the country. Simultaneously, the US Navy's DEVGRU executed an operation in Somalia targeting the suspected planner behind the Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya, likely intended to prevent either suspect from evading capture.

Following his arrest, al-Libi was held aboard the naval vessel USS San Antonio stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. On 10 February 2014, The Washington Post released a brief CCTV video depicting U.S. commandos detaining him.

Strategist David Kilcullen observed that the downfall of Libya’s government under Ali Zeidan and subsequent national fragmentation were partially consequences of this raid capturing al-Libi.

Court proceedings

On 15 October 2013, al-Libi appeared before a Manhattan federal court and entered a plea of not guilty to terrorism-related accusations, which included his alleged role in the bombings at the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Due to concerns about the risk of fleeing and potential danger to the community, he was denied bail. His trial, alongside co-defendant Khalid al-Fawwaz, was initially arranged to commence on 3 November 2014 under the supervision of Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. Subsequently, the start date was postponed to 12 January 2015 in New York.

Death

Abu Anas Al-Libi passed away on 2 January 2015 while hospitalized in New York under U.S. detention, at the age of 50. He had been battling liver disease associated with hepatitis C and liver cancer. After his death, his spouse accused U.S. authorities of abduction, mistreatment, and wrongful death.

Personal background

Al-Libi was a married man with four sons. Reports have linked him to Ramadan Abedi, who is the father of Salman Abedi, responsible for the Manchester Arena bombing.

Aliases

Romanized	Arabic	Details
Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih al-Ruqai'i	نزيه عبد الحمد نبيه الرقيعي	Surname appears as الراجعي on UN documentation.
Anas al-Libi	أنس الليبي
Abu Anas al-Libi	أبو أنس الليبي	Referenced in certain Arabic media outlets.
Anas al-Sebai	أنس السباعي
Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Raghie	نزيه عبد الحمد الراغي