Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim

Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim is a deceased Iraqi detainee, (Arabic: ضياء كاظم عبد الزهرة; c. 1970 - January 29, 2007), also known as al-Ali bin Ali bin Abi Talib (Arabic: العلي بن علي بن أبي طالب), claimed to be from Hilla, Iraq, was the leader of an armed extremist Shiite Islam cult named Jund al-Samaa ("Soldiers of Heaven" in Arabic, a well-armed Shia cult regarding the religious leadership in Najaf as illegitimate) based in Iraq. He claimed to be the Hidden Imam and Mahdi. He was detained twice in recent years. He was also known to have connections to the former regime of Saddam Hussein since 1993.

After Saddam Hussein was toppled in the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, Abdul-Zahra's group appeared to be a legitimate political movement. Soon Abdul-Zahra, who was in his mid-30s, began telling followers that he was the reincarnation of the Ali ibn Abu Talib, the first Shia Imam as well as the last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. His followers were said to include Sunnis and Shiites, Iraqis and foreigners, men and women.^{[citation needed]}

2007 Ashura attacks

Zahra Kadim was credited with planning a massive attack in Najaf during the Day of Ashura holiday. Plans called for members of the Jund al-Samaa to disguise themselves as pilgrims and suddenly open fire, in attempts to assassinate as many leading Shiite clerics as possible and cause overall disruption of the holiday. Beforehand, however, Zahra Kadim had already dispatched three gunmen to a hotel where senior Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's office was located, with plans to attack the office and consequentially assassinate the leader.^[1][2][3]

Death

Zahra Kadim was killed during a fierce gun battle with United States, British, and New Iraqi army forces in Najaf on January 29, 2007. He was found wearing jeans, a coat, and a hat, in addition to being armed with two pistols. He was thirty-seven years old.

The footage appeared to show the body of Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim, wrapped in a blanket. His face, with a neatly trimmed beard, matched a photo in a pamphlet found at the site entitled "Holy Coming", which identified him as the Mahdi.^[4][5]

Apparently, he had been claiming he was the Mahdi, in efforts to hide his real identity and recruit new members to the cult.^[6][7]

See also

• Ahmed Hassani al-Yemeni
• People claiming to be the Mahdi

References

1. ^ Hardy, Roger (January 31, 2007). "Confusion surrounds Najaf battle". BBC.
2. ^ Roug, Louise; Fakhrildeen, Saad (January 30, 2007). "Religious cult targeted in fierce battle near Najaf". Los Angeles Times.
3. ^ Gamel, Kim (January 29, 2007). "Iraqi army kills leader of Shiite cult". Associated Press. news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20070207225245/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq. Retrieved January 29, 2007. 
4. ^ "Ashura blast kills at least 13 in Iraq". today.reuters.co.uk Reuters. January 30, 2007.^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "BBC Monitoring International Reports: Ashura blast kills at least 13 in Iraq". BBC. January 30, 2007. (registration required)
6. ^ Senanayake, Sumedha (February 2, 2007). "Al-Najaf Mystery Reflects Iraqi Divisions". Reports Archive: Iraq Report, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
7. ^ "Death toll rises". news.yahoo.com. January 29, 2007.^{[dead link]}

External links

• Official Website (Arabic)

Persondata
Name	Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim
Alternative names	al-Ali bin Ali bin Abi Talib
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	January 29, 2007
Place of death