Sulaiman Abu Ghaith

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (Arabic: سليمان بوغيث) (born ca. 1965 or 1966) is a Kuwaiti Islamist regarded as one of Al-Qaida's official spokesmen.

Activities during the 1991 Gulf War

Abu Ghaith first gained attention during the 1990-1991 Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait. His sermons denouncing the occupation and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein gained him some degree of popularity amongst the Kuwaiti people. Following the defeat of Iraq, he turned his attention towards the Kuwaiti government and royal family, denouncing the 1962 constitution and demanding the institution of Sharia law. The Kuwaiti government subsequently removed him from the mosque and banned him from giving sermons, and he became a high school teacher of religion.

Arrival in Afghanistan in June 2000

In June 2000 he left Kuwait for Afghanistan, where he met Osama bin Laden and joined his Al-Qaeda organization. His affinity for public speaking and comparative youth put him at the head of Al-Qaeda's attempt to widen its appeal from ultra-conservative and mostly elderly clerics to the general population and especially the youth of majority-Muslim countries; in this capacity, he quickly became the organization's spokesman.

Alleged to be a founder of al Wafa

According to documents in the unclassified dossier from
Adil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil's Combatant Status Review TribunalSuliman Abu Ghaith was also a founder of Al Wafa al Igatha al Islamia, a charity that the USA asserts provided a plausible front for al Qaeda's fund-raising efforts. [http://wid.ap.org/documents/detainees/adilalzamil.pdf#19 documents (.pdf)] from
Adil Zamil Abdull Mohssin Al Zamil's "Combatant Status Review Tribunal", August 18 2004] One of the allegations against Al Zamil, who was also accused of being a founder of al Wafa, was that he helped Abu Ghaith's family leave Afghanistan around the time of the attacks of 9-11.

Appearance in an al Qaeda video news release after 9-11

He rose to worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks. In October 2001 he appeared on two widely circulated videos (first broadcast on al Jazeera television) to defend the attacks and threaten reprisals for the subsequent US invasion of Afghanistan, saying "Americans should know, the storm of the planes will not stop... There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live." [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1590559.stm|title=Al-Qaeda threatens fresh terror attacks|publisher=BBC News|date=October 10, 2001] These statements caused the Kuwaiti government to strip him of his citizenship. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1599088.stm|title=Kuwait disowns Bin Laden aide|publisher=BBC News|date=October 14, 2001]

His whereabouts, as he moved around to escape capture by the United States in the following months, are unclear. In July 2003, a Kuwaiti minister announced that the Iranian government was holding Abu Ghaith, and that Kuwait had refused an offer from Iran to extradite him to Kuwait. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3074785.stm|title=Al-Qaeda spokesman 'in Iran'|publisher=BBC News|date=July 17, 2003] As there have been no further credible reports on his whereabouts since July 2003, it is unclear whether he is currently in Iranian custody, or indeed in Iran at all.

References

External links

* [http://www.megastories.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=55&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 "Under the shadow of spears", an article by Abu Ghaith] , translated June 2002