Mohammed Atef (; born Sobhi Abd Al Aziz Mohamed El Gohary Abu Sitta, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri and al-Khabir; 1944 – November 2001) was an Egyptian militant and prominent military chief of al-Qaeda, and a deputy of Osama bin Laden, although Atef's role in the organization was not well known by intelligence agencies for years. He was killed in a US airstrike in November 2001.
Atef served two years in the Egyptian Air Force and became an agricultural engineer.Potomac Books, Through Our Enemies Eyes, p. 95. He was also a police officer and a member of the group Egyptian Islamic Jihad before he moved to Afghanistan to repel the Soviet invasion, while operating from Peshawar.Raman, B. South Asia Analysis Group, , November 20, 2001 He has been credited as having convinced Abdullah Azzam to abandon his life and devote himself to preaching jihad at this time.
Atef was sent to an Afghan training camp where he met Ayman al-Zawahiri, who later introduced him to Osama bin Laden.
He attended two meetings from August 11 to 20 in 1988, along with bin Laden, al-Zawahiri, Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, Jamal al-Fadl, Wa'el Hamza Julaidan, and Mohammed Loay Bayazid and eight others, to discuss the founding of "al-Qaeda".Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower, 2006. pp. 131-134 Bin Laden later sent a letter to Mohammed Loay Bayazid informing him that Atef and Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri were to each be given 6,500 Saudi riyals monthly, the same as they had been given for their work in Maktab al-Khidamat.
In Sudan Atef followed al-Qaeda to the Sudan in 1992 until the group was forced to leave,Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Responsibility for the terrorist atrocities , October 4, 2001 following the execution of the teenaged son of Ahmad Salama Mabruk, and Atef moved to Afghanistan.Human Rights Watch, Chapter VI: Muhammad al-Zawahiri and Hussain al-ZawahiriKushner, Harvey W. "Encyclopedia of Terrorism", 2002. Atef, p. 56
In 1994, he refused to allow American double agent Ali Mohammed to know which name and passport he would be traveling under, expressing concerns that Mohammed could be working with the American authorities.Sullivan, John. Raleigh News and Observer, "Al-Qaeda Terrorist Duped FBI, Army", October 21, 2001 He traveled to Mombasa, Kenya, where he met with Mohammed Odeh and gave him money to purchase himself a 7-tonne trawler and start a fishing business.Simon Reeve, The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the future of terrorism, London: Deutsch Limited, 1999, p. 4United States of America v. Usama bin Laden et al, May 1, 2001 proceedings
While in Sudan, he allegedly conducted a study which resulted in him presenting al-Qaeda details on why aircraft hijackings were a poor idea as they were engineered to allow the negotiation of hostages in exchange for prisoners, rather than inflicting damage.9/11 Commission, p. 153 Another alleged study he carried out determined that the Afghan Arabs and Taliban could together topple the dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, and the government of Iran.Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Analysis: Al-Qa'ida Military Training on the Internet, February 16, 2002
In 1995, Atef gave Khalid Sheikh Mohammed details for a contact in Brazil.9/11 Commission, p. 148 When Mohammed returned to Afghanistan, he turned to Atef to set up a meeting with bin Laden in Tora Bora, at which he told the pair his plans for military attacks against the United States.
Prior to 1996, Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri, Atef and Yaseen al-Iraqi aided Enaam Arnaout in purchasing AK-47s and mortar rounds from a Pashtun tribesman named Hajji Ayoub, and they were subsequently delivered in large trucks to the Jawr and Jihad Wahl training camps.Fitzgerald, Patrick J. United States of America v. Enaam M. Arnaout, "Governments Evidentiary Proffer Supporting the Admissibility of Co-Conspirator Statements", before Hon. Suzanne B. Conlon
Named military chief
In 1996, al-Qaeda's military chief Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri drowned in a ferry accident on Lake Victoria, and Atef was chosen to succeed him.Lance, Peter. "Triple-Cross", 2006. p. 104-105 He drew up a plan summarizing the positive qualities of Taliban leaders, and showed his "nuanced understanding" that the United States had energy interests in the Caspian Sea which would lead them to want an oil pipeline built through Afghanistan in the near future.
In 1998, a number of militants began to speak openly of their disdain for Atef, leading bin Laden to convene a meeting at which he spoke at length about Abu Bakr's loyalty to Muhammad. Comparing Atef to the Prophet's lieutenant, he reminded those present that Atef "knew of Jihad before most of you were even born", and warned them that he didn't want to hear any more "negative talk" about Atef.Ressa, Maria. "Seeds of Terror", 2003.
Atef was allegedly sent into Somalia at least twice to meet with tribal leaders, once having to escape aboard a small Cessna aircraft used for transporting khat.Benjamin, Daniel & Steven Simon. "The Age of Sacred Terror", 2002 Years later, a material witness told American authorities that he flew Atef and four others from an al-Qaeda compound in the Sudan, to Nairobi, Kenya to train Somali fighters.Miller, Judity. New York Times, "A Witness Against Al-Qaeda Says the US Let Him Down", June 3, 2002 This led the United States to accuse him of training the militants who attacked their troops in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
1998 embassy bombings On May 7, 1998, Atef faxed bin Laden a fatwa signed by Afghan scholars on May 7, which said that attacks against American civilians could be justified.9/11 Commission, p. 69 Three months later, al-Qaeda carried out the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, leading to Atef's indictment as having been involved in the preparation of the attack.Dawoud, Khaled. The Guardian, Atef al-Masry, November 19, 2001
Following the American reprisal bombings, Atef frisked journalists looking to meet bin Laden. On November 4, an arrest warrant was issued in the United States for Atef.USA v. Muhammad Atef, Southern District of New York District Court, November 24, 1998
Atef also began speaking to Hambali in Singapore, as the Indonesian-based militant sought al-Qaeda's financing for Jemaah Islamiyah operations.9/11 Commission, p. 151 In turn, when Atef informed Hambali of al-Qaeda's need for a new biological engineer, the latter sent Yazid Sufaat to al-Zawahiri.
Planning of further militant activity In the 1999 Returnees from Albania, he was tried in absentia by an Egyptian court which sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment for his association with the EIJ. That year, he met repeatedly with bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at the Al-Matar complex to discuss possible targets for the 9/11 attacks.9/11 Commission, p. 155 It was accepted that Atef was the one responsible for organizing the hijackers for the attacks. Near the end of the year, he met with Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Mohamed Atta and Ziad Jarrah and explained they would be undertaking a highly secret operation, in cooperation with Nawaf al-Hazmi whom he named as Rabia al-Makki.9/11 Commission, p. 166
Following the 2000 USS Cole bombing, Atef was moved to Kandahar, Zawahiri to Kabul, and bin Laden fled to Kabul, later joining Atef when he realised no American reprisal attacks were forthcoming.9/11 Commission, p. 191 Whenever al-Qaeda organised games of volleyball, Atef and bin Laden were forced to be on separate teams since they were both tall and skilled.
In January 2001, in Kandahar, Atef's daughter married bin Laden's 17-year-old son Mohammed; the wedding guests included Osama's mother, al-Jazeera journalist Ahmad Zaidan, a "few" Taliban party members, and about 400 others. Osama recited poetry about the USS Cole bombing, but was upset with his delivery and tried having Zaidan re-record the section before deciding he preferred the earlier version.Newsweek, "Bin Laden's Poetry of Terror", March 26, 2001
That year, Mullah Omar is said to have argued that bin Laden should not draw further reprisals against Afghanistan by striking the United States again. This led to a schism among al-Qaeda leadership, where Atef sided with bin Laden, while leaders like Saif al Adel sided with Omar.9/11 Commission, p. 251
He is believed to have given José Padilla money to travel back to Egypt from Afghanistan, to visit his wife. The two then formed a working relationship. He also gave Ramzi bin al-Shibh money to travel from Karachi to Malaysia to meet with Atta.9/11 Commission, p. 243 When David Hicks completed his training at al-Farouq, Atef interviewed him about his achievements and asked about the travel habits of Australians, before agreeing to suggest he be moved to the Tarnak Farms training camp.United States v. David Matthew Hicks, June 2004
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, and still a fugitive from his U.S. indictment in the 1998 Embassy bombings, Atef appeared on the initial list of the FBI's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists, which was released to the public by President Bush on October 10, 2001. Debka.com has suggested that Atef led an "elite unit" of militants who captured and killed rival warlord Abdul Haq in October 2001.Debka.com, Abdul Haq fell into trap laid by Bin Laden, October 29, 2001
In early November 2001, the Taliban government announced they were bestowing official Afghan citizenship on him, as well as bin Laden, Zawahiri, Saif al-Adel, and Shaykh Asim Abdulrahman.The Hindu, , November 9, 2001
Described as a "devout" and "very quiet man", Atef was one of the few al-Qaeda leaders to not make public video statements. He is alleged to have written a 180-page manual entitled "Military Studies in the Holy Struggle against Tyrants", and directed Afghan training camps himself.Nasrawi, Salah. Chicago Sun-Times, "Key bin Laden aide wrote terror manual", November 17, 2001
Death Atef was killed, along with his guard Abu Ali al-Yafi'i and six others,World News Connection, Al-Qa'ida member recalls US bombardment, accuses Taliban of betrayal , October 29, 2003Associated Press, Taliban confirms death of Osama bin Laden's military chief in US strike, November 17, 2001 in a U.S. airstrike on his home near Kabul during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan at some time during November 14–16, 2001. American intelligence intercepted communications from those digging through the rubble of Atef's home, leading them to believe they had been successful in killing him. According to the Combating Terrorism Center he was killed in a strike on an "al Qa'ida safehouse". Reports said that American bomber aircraft had destroyed the house while MQ-1 Predator UAVs had destroyed vehicles parked outside the house.Thomas, Evan & Hosenball, Mark Newsweek, "The Opening Shot", November 11, 2002
Donald Rumsfeld was initially cautious and indicated only that reports of Atef's death "seem authoritative". His death was confirmed when the ambassador of the Taliban, Abd Al-Salam Dhaif, said three days later, "Abu Hafs al-Masri died from injuries he suffered after US warplanes bombed his house near Kabul."