Free Republic

Show availability of Iran for al Qaeda training, plotting. This week, prosecutors in New York introduced eight documents recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan as evidence in the trial of a terrorism suspect. The U.S. government accuses Abid Naseer of taking part in al Qaeda’s scheme to attack targets in Europe and New York City. The files do not support the view, promoted by some in the Obama administration, that bin Laden was in “comfortable retirement,” “sidelined,” or “a lion in winter” in the months leading up to his death. Some of the key revelations in the newly-released...

In his modest house located on a hill in a marginalized and poor neighborhood in the city of al-Rusaifa, which is adjacent to al-Zarqa, the stronghold and origin of the Jordanian Salafist jihadist movement, Sheikh Isam al-Barqawi — known as Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi — receives his followers coming from Ma'an, Amman, Salt, Irbid and a number of Palestinian camps. These cities and communities have sent hundreds of their youth to fight in Syria, Iraq and other countries. This meeting took place after four years in detention, which ended a few days ago, after he was convicted on terrorism charges. Maqdisi...

"What is the Islamic State? Where did it come from, and what are its intentions? The simplicity of these questions can be deceiving, and few Western leaders seem to know the answers. In December, The New York Times published confidential comments by Major General Michael K. Nagata, the Special Operations commander for the United States in the Middle East, admitting that he had hardly begun figuring out the Islamic State’s appeal. “We have not defeated the idea,” he said. “We do not even understand the idea.” In the past year, President Obama has referred to the Islamic State, variously, as...

NOTE The following text is a quote: Alabama Men Arrested on Terrorism Charges U.S. Attorney’s Office December 11, 2012 Southern District of Alabama MOBILE, AL—U.S. Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama and Stephen E. Richardson, Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Division of the FBI, announced that Mohammad Abdul Rahman Abukhdair, 25, and Randy Wilson, also known as Rasheed Wilson, 25, both U.S. citizens living in Mobile, were arrested today on terrorism charges filed in the Southern District of Alabama. A criminal complaint signed on December 10, 2012, charges Abukhdair and Wilson with conspiring to...

Video and Link included. 18 July 2010 "VIEW OF SURVEILLANCE FROM INSIDE AL-MAQDISI'S HOME IN JORDAN"

Note: Photo included. "Authorities release Al Maqdisi" 2010-07-11 SNIPPET: "AMMONNEWS - Jordanian security authorities on Sunday morning released Essam Al Barqawi, known as Abu Muhamamad Al Maqdisi, a prominent figure in the Salafi Jihadist current, three days after he was arrested for violating traffic law. Al Maqdisi told Al Jazeera Net after he was released that he was apprehended while getting his car fixed last Thursday by Preventative Security personnel "who monitor him in all his moves," Al Jazeera reported." SNIPPET: "He expressed that police officers dealt with him with "confusion" considering him a "terrorist," as a police officer told...

SNIPPET: "I was over at the Pest's website today and noticed that he recently posted a link to a new video of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi astride a steed." SNIPPET: "In the end, it's just more raw material for the jihobbyist toiling away with their video editing software in their parents' basements. From this point on every video production featuring everyone's favorite scholar will include his moment astride a steed."

The Emir of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abu Mus'ab 'Abd Al-Wadoud, has asked the Jordan-based jihadist cleric Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi to rule on shari'a matters for the organization.

A leading jihadi theologian – and adviser to the late leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq – is under fire for ‘moderating’ his views.In yet another fissure within radical Islamist networks, one of the world's most influential jihadi theologians is coming under fire from some former followers for allegedly moderating his views – a claim he denies. The attacks on Jordanian cleric Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, who was spiritual adviser for the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, are significant because of Mr. Maqdisi's longtime stature as a revered spiritual mentor who legitimizes violence with his religious...

More Fitna in Cyberspace: Mihdar vs al-Maqdisi Brynjar Lia February 7th, 2009 | AQ in Iraq, Jihadi media Is another chapter in the history of cyber-jihadi infighting about to be written these days? The latest controversy is a series of attacks by the webforum Madad al-Suyuf on Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, perhaps the most influential salafi-jihadi clerics alive. That the cyber-Jihadis quarrel with one another should come as no surprise. Despite calls for unity and brotherly counseling, jihadi writers frequently fight it out in the open. In fact, inter-jihadi quarrels seem to have become more common and less ‘brotherly’ in tone...

The Jordanians had held Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi without trial for several years without trial, but could apparently find no charges to bring against him.  Earlier today, the man described as more influential in al-Qaeda than either Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri went free from the prison where he mentored Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who founded al-Qaeda in Iraq: Jordanian authorities on Wednesday released Jordanian Sheikh Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, a leading al-Qaeda mentor, after several years imprisonment without trial, security sources said.They said Maqdisi, who was regarded as the spiritual mentor of slain al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,...

Petraeus: Al Qaida Trying to 'Come Back In' U.S. military officials said there will be no significant reduction in coalition troops in the Baghdad area as part of an effort to stop the Al Qaida offensive in northern Iraq. They said Al Qaida was trying to reenter Baghdad and reverse its losses in 2007. "Al Qaida is trying to come back in," U.S. military commander Gen. David Petraeus said. "We can feel it and see it, and what we're trying to do is rip out any roots before they can get deeply into the ground." Read More Militants Assert...

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanian authorities on Wednesday released Jordanian Sheikh Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, a leading al-Qaeda mentor, after several years imprisonment without trial, security sources said. They said Maqdisi, who was regarded as the spiritual mentor of slain al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had been in solitary confinement since he was rearrested in July 2005 following his acquittal at a trial of al Qaeda sympathizers. "He was released," said one security source without elaborating on the circumstances of the release of Maqdisi. The militant Jihadi shared a cell block with Zarqawi for four years between 1995 and...

Dispute in Islamist Circles over the Legitimacy of Attacking Muslims, Shiites, and Non-combatant Non-Muslims in Jihad Operations in Iraq: Al-Maqdisi vs. His Disciple Al-Zarqawi In the past two years a religious dispute has developed between Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and his spiritual mentor Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi.(1) It has focused on the question of the legitimacy of certain Jihad operations in Iraq, and in particular on the question of the religious legitimacy of attacking Muslims, of attacking Shiites, and of attacking non-combatant non-Muslims. The dispute began with Al-Maqdisi criticizing certain methods of Jihad in Iraq...

Iraq's al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi reproached his spiritual mentor for criticising suicide attacks in Iraq, saying this only weakened the jihad, according to an internet statement attributed to him on Monday. Issam Baraqi, better known as Sheik Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, last week told Al-Jazeera television that random suicide bombings in Iraq were not valid and that it was wrong to "declare Shiites infidels or make them equal to Jews or Christians". Al Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq, led by Zarqawi, has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against US forces, the Iraqi Government and forces and...

The spiritual mentor of al-Qaida's reputed leader in Iraq was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion he made contacts with terror groups since his release from prison a week ago, Jordan's deputy prime minister said. Isam al-Barqawi, also known as Sheik Abu-Mohammed al-Maqdisi, is said to have taught radical Islamic ideology to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, head of al-Qaida's branch waging a bloody insurgency in Iraq. Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher said al-Barqawi was detained because "there were contacts between him and terrorist groups outside Jordan" since his release. "He was arrested to find out the nature of these contacts," he added....

AMMAN, July 4 (Reuters) - A Muslim cleric who moulded the militant Islamic views of al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, sworn foe of U.S. forces in Iraq, has been freed from prison in Jordan, Islamist and security sources said on Monday. Issam Barqawi, better known as Sheikh Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, 43, was released on June 28 after a six-month detention at intelligence headquarters following his acquittal at a trial of Jordanian and Saudi sympathisers of al Qaeda. Political sources were uncertain what prompted the release of Maqdisi, now under close surveillance by authorities at his house near Zarqa, east...