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XX} FAHAD SALEM AWADH MOHSIN-AL~WAI-IEIDI,
~ also known as,
Fahad Salem AlWahedi;
INTERNAT I ONAL TERRORI SM - USAMA B IN LADEN/AL QAEDA
OFFICE OF ORIGIN: Phoenix i
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BASIS FOR INVESTIGATION:
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AL - QAEDA
_ U! AL-QAEDA, under the leadership of Usama Bin Laden,
has declared holy war on the United States for its "occupation of
holy lands" and has issued a total of three fatwas religiously
sanctioned opinions on civil or religious matters!, in which it
declared the duty of every Muslim to kill Americans, civilian or
military, wherever possible.
U! The name AL-QAEDA, or "the Base," dates back to 1988
and reportedly originated from the term used to refer to one
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This document contains neither recommendations norm conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI
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of Usama Bin Laden's UBL! guesthouses, where the Mujahidin that came
to fight in Afghanistan were required to register. These
registration records later provided extensive contacts to Islamic
fighters around the world. AL-QAEDA includes, in addition to the
warriors present at Usama Bin Ladenls camps, a loose network of
terrorist cells throughout the world. The most outstanding features
of AL~QAEDA are its international outreach and vast financial '
resources, derived mainly from Usama Bin Ladens personal wealth and
financial dealings. ,
U! Usama Bin Laden was raised in Saudi Arabia in a
wealthy, high profile, family of Yemeni origins. The beginning of
his radicalization dates back to his university studies in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, where he was linked to members of the Muslim
Brotherhood, Later, his involvement in the Afghan struggle against
the Soviet occupation played a major role in shaping his ideology.
During this experience, he found a sense of purpose and became deeply
religious. Usama Bin Laden also made contacts with Islamic fighters
from around the world and participated in a victorious struggle
against a secular superpower. The combination of Usama Bin_Laden's
wealth, connection to, and command over experienced, motivated, and
radical Islamic militants, and his fervent antiU.S. orientation,
make him a serious threat to U.S. national security. '
U! ALQAEDA operated approximately 12 training camps in
Afghanistan, in which it has reportedly trained as many as 5,000
militants. These militants have allegedly created cells in 50
countries. Some of these trainees may be "sleeper" agents, who live
undetected among local populations.
U! ALQAEDA members are familiar with modern
communications and have been reported to use encrypted e-mail,
cellular phones, satellite communications, and training manuals on
CD-ROMs. The group emphasizes the symbolic value of targets when
making its selection, e.g., U.S. embassies, World Trade Center,
military barracks, USS Cole, etc.
U! The U.S. State Department currently links ALQAEDA to
many recent terrorist attacks, among them the World Trade Center
bombing O2/1993!; the attacks in Riyadh ll/1995! and Dhahran
O6/1996!, Saudi Arabia; the assassination attempt on Egyptian
President Mubarak in Ethiopia O6/1995!; the nearsimu1taneous .
bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-esSalaam,
Tanzania O8/1998!; and the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen
1/2000!. .
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U! AL-QAEDA may have several hundred to several thousand
members. ALQAEDA serves as a focal point or umbrella organization
for a worldwide network that includes, among others, many Sunni
Islamic extremist groups such as EGYPTIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD, some members
of AL-GAMAAT ALISLAMIYYA, the ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBEKISTAN, and
the HARAKAT ULMUJAHIDIN. ALQAEDA has a worldwide reach, has cells
in a number of countries, and is reinforced by its ties to Sunni
extremist networks. Usama Bin Laden and his key lieutenants resided
in Afghanistan, and the group maintained terrorist training camps
there. Due to law enforcement activities and the military campaign,
entitled "Operation Enduring Freedom," AL-QAEDA has suffered a
significant disruption, including the demise or capture of
hierarchical members of AL-QAEDA. The current whereabouts of Usama
Bin Laden is unknown.
INVESTIGATION TO_QATE
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FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Precedence: ROUTINE Date: ll/20/2002
To: -Los Angeles
From: Les Angeles
CT5- . Contact: SAI I
Drafted By:
Case ID #:Approved By: I I b7C'1 b6
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Title: -<-!!;-»- FZIHAD ALT1-IUMAIRY;
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