Abu Faraj al-Libbi

Abu Faraj al-Libi
Born	Mustafa Faraj Muhammad Muhammad Masud al-Jadid al-Uzaybi (1970-11-01) November 1, 1970 Libya
Occupation	al-Qaeda senior leader
Known for	Third-ranking leader of al-Qaeda, detainee at Guantanamo Bay

Abu Faraj al-Libi ( ; أبو الفرج الليبي), alternatively spelled al-Libbi, is the alias of Mustafa Faraj Muhammad Muhammad Masud al-Jadid al-Uzaybi (born November 1, 1970), a Libyan national alleged to hold a senior leadership position within the al-Qaeda terrorist network. On May 2, 2005, he was apprehended near Mardan, approximately 30 miles north of Peshawar, Pakistan, in a coordinated operation carried out by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) alongside the CIA's Special Activities Division and Pakistan's Special Forces.

Since September 2006, al-Libi has been detained by U.S. military authorities at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, having previously been held at a classified location. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence has described him as having served as al-Qaeda’s third-ranking leader from the time Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in 2003 until al-Libi’s own arrest in 2005.

Background

Around the year 2000, al-Libi was living in Kabul’s Karte Parwan neighborhood. By August 2004, Pakistani officials had identified him as al-Qaeda’s "number three" figure and its "director of operations," a position formerly occupied by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Following his capture on May 2, 2005, both U.S. and Pakistani agencies confirmed his status as the third most significant member of al-Qaeda. Reports stated that he was ambushed while riding a motorcycle near Mardan, where he attempted to destroy a notebook that U.S. operatives subsequently recovered for intelligence examination.

U.S. intelligence agencies regarded al-Libi as a critical connection to Osama bin Laden after intercepting a phone call made by him and coordinating with Pakistani operatives to secure his detention near Mardan, roughly 75 miles northwest of Islamabad.

Pakistani authorities accused al-Libi of masterminding the 2006 transatlantic aircraft bombing plot and implicated him in two assassination attempts targeting Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf. His alleged collaborator in these incidents was Amjad Farooqi, who was also linked to the 2002 killing of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl; Farooqi died during an encounter with security forces in southern Pakistan.

Early accounts mistakenly conflated al-Libi with another fugitive named Anas al-Liby. The term "al-Libi," meaning "the Libyan," is commonly used as a descriptive nickname or to distinguish identities among militants and has multiple English spellings.

A December 2008 analysis by the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, categorized Abu Faraj al-Libi within the "al Qaeda leadership cadre" and noted that during tribunal hearings he did not provide statements relevant to the military allegations against him.

Guantanamo Review Task Force

On January 21, 2009—the day he assumed office—United States President Barack Obama signed three executive orders concerning detainee management at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. These orders created a new review mechanism involving officials from six government departments, replacing the prior Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants (OARDEC) process which was managed solely by the Department of Defense.

One year later, the Guantanamo Review Task Force designated certain detainees as too dangerous to release despite insufficient evidence for formal charges. On April 9, 2013, following a Freedom of Information Act request, documents were published revealing these determinations. Among the 71 individuals found unchargeable yet considered high-risk was Abu Faraj al-Libi.

President Obama declared that detainees who could not be prosecuted due to lack of evidence but were deemed threats would be subject to ongoing evaluations by a Periodic Review Board.

Periodic Review Board

The initial evaluation took place on November 20, 2013. On September 16, 2016, Al-Libi's request for transfer was rejected.

External links

• UN Secret Detention Report (Part One): The CIA’s “High-Value Detainee” Program and Secret Prisons, Andy Worthington
• "Osama bin Laden’s Death, and the Unjustifiable Defense of Torture and Guantánamo", Andy Worthington
• Who's who in al-Qaeda, BBC News, August 19, 2005
• Press handout photo of Abu Faraj al-Libbi, Pakistan Interior Ministry; image hosted at MSNBC