Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad al-Rubaysh

Ibrahim al-Rubaish
Born	(1979-07-07) July 7, 1979
Died	April 12, 2015(2015-04-12) (aged 35)
Occupation(s)	Islamic scholar, AQAP mufti, ideologue
Known for	Leadership in Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Guantanamo detainee

Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad al-Rubaish (July 7, 1979 – April 12, 2015) served as a prominent figure within Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and was previously detained at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba. Apprehended near the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he was handed over to Saudi authorities on December 13, 2006. Following his release, al-Rubaish managed to flee custody and subsequently assumed the role of AQAP's mufti (Islamic legal scholar).

Guantanamo detention

In 2001, al-Rubaish was taken into US military custody due to alleged connections with Al-Qaeda while employed as an educator in Pakistan. He remained imprisoned at Guantanamo until his release five years later in 2006. During his confinement, he composed the contentious poem Ode to the Sea, which later generated controversy when incorporated into an academic curriculum at an Indian university.

On February 3, 2009, Saudi authorities included al-Rubaish on a list of 85 individuals suspected of terrorism, among whom were 11 former detainees from Guantanamo.

AQAP's mufti

A November 2009 report by the think tank The Jamestown Foundation identified al-Rubaish as serving as a mufti for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Call for assassination of Saudi royals

According to the report's author, Murad Batal Al-Shishani, al-Rubaish produced an audio recording disseminated by Al-Qaida in September that justified an assassination attempt targeting a high-ranking member of the Saudi Royal Family. The report also highlighted his publication of a book condemning Shaykh Salman al-Ouda, who criticized al Qaida's attacks on September 11, 2001, alongside another audio message released in November 2009 opposing the Saudi government's policy introducing coeducational schooling.

Repatriation and escape

Transferred back to Saudi Arabia on December 13, 2006, al-Rubaish later escaped detention and aligned himself with AQAP in Yemen, eventually ascending to a senior leadership position.

Call for jihad

At the beginning of 2013, al-Rubaish issued a call for jihad against American forces, urging Muslims to drive them out of Muslim territories and expressing aspirations for Sunni solidarity against Shiite Iran.

U.S. terrorist designation and reward

In October 2014, the U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice initiative announced a $5 million reward for information leading to al-Rubaish’s capture. Subsequently, in December 2014, he was officially designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. government.

Death

AQAP declared in April 2015 that al-Rubaish had been eliminated in a drone strike close to Mukalla, an operation widely attributed to the United States.

Writings

Serving as AQAP's principal ideologue and religious counselor, al-Rubaish's sermons and literary contributions formed the core of the organization's published materials.

See also

• Poems From Guantánamo

External links

• A Poem From Guantánamo: “Ode to the Sea” by Ibrahim al-Rubaish Andy Worthington