Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

assets and civilians in Nigeria, including the August 26, 2011 attack on the UN building in
Abuja that killed at least 23 people.
On June 21, the Department of State designated Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA)
military leader and explosives expert Aitzol Iriondo Yarza, a long-term member who has
engaged in murder, bombings, recruiting, and training for ETA.
On July 17, the Department of State designated Ahmed Abdulrahman Sihab Ahmed Sihab,
(aka Abdulrahman al-Sharqi). The Bahraini citizen has trained members of al-Qa’ida (AQ) in
terrorist tactics, techniques, and procedures. Since January 2007, Sihab has been wanted for
extradition by the Government of Bahrain where he has been publicly charged with planning
terrorist attacks as a member of AQ.
On August 7, the Department of State designated trainer and senior AQ member Azzam
Abdullah Zureik Al-Maulid Al-Subhi (aka Mansur al-Harbi). Al-Harbi travelled to
Afghanistan more than a decade ago to join AQ and is responsible for training militants and
coordinating foreign fighters who travel to Afghanistan to fight against coalition forces.
Mansur al-Harbi is a Saudi citizen currently wanted for extradition by the Government of
Saudi Arabia and is accused of being tied to numerous senior AQ leaders.
On September 6, the Department of State revoked the designations of the Communist Party
of Nepal-Maoist (CPN(M)) under E.O. 13224 and as a “terrorist organization” from the
Terrorist Exclusion List under the Immigration and Nationality Act, after the Department
determined that the CPN(M) is no longer engaged in terrorist activity that threatens the
security of U.S. nationals or U.S. foreign policy. The Maoist party has been elected as the
head of Nepal’s coalition government, has taken steps to dismantle its apparatus for the
conduct of terrorist operations, and has demonstrated a credible commitment to pursuing the
peace and reconciliation process in Nepal.
On November 5, the Department of State designated Qari Zakir, the Haqqani Network’s
(HQN) chief of suicide operations. Zakir is responsible for HQN’s training program, which
includes instruction in small arms, heavy weapons, and basic improvised explosive device
(IED) construction. He has been involved in many of HQN’s high-profile suicide attacks,
including the September 2011 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and is partially
responsible for making some of the final determinations on whether or not to proceed with
large-scale attacks planned by local district-level commanders.
On December 7, the Department of State designated the Movement of Unity and Jihad in
West Africa (MUJWA or MUJAO), Hamad el Khairy, and Ahmed el Tilemsi. MUJWA was
created in September 2011 after members broke off from AQIM, and has been behind violent
terrorist attacks and kidnappings in the region, including a March 2012 suicide attack on a
police base in Tamanrasset, Algeria that wounded 23 people; an April 2012 kidnapping of
seven Algerian diplomats in Gao, Mali; and a June 2012 attack in Ouargla, Algeria that killed
one and injured three. Hamad el Khairy has appeared in MUJWA videos to claim operations
and make threats against those who oppose the organization. He was a member of AQIM
prior to his leadership role in MUJWA, and was involved in planning terrorist operations
against Mauritania in 2007. Ahmed el Tilemsi acts as MUJWA’s military head, and has
directly participated kidnapping operations for both MUJWA and AQIM.
On December 17, the Department of State designated former Lebanese Minister of
Information and Tourism Michel Samaha. Samaha was arrested by Lebanese authorities in
August 2012 and has been charged with plotting to assassinate political and religious figures
in Lebanon through targeted bombings. The goal of these attacks appears to have been an
attempt to incite sectarian clashes in Lebanon on behalf of the Syrian regime. Samaha was
also accused of transporting explosives for the planned attacks into Lebanon.
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