Ayman al-Zawahiri

Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (Arabic: أيمن محمد ربيع الظواهري‎  ʾAyman Muḥammad Rabīʿ aẓ-Ẓawāhirī, born June 19, 1951) is the current leader of al-Qaeda and a current or former member and senior official of Islamist organizations which have orchestrated and carried out attacks in North America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2012, he called on Muslims to kidnap Western tourists in Muslim countries.

Since the September 11 attacks, U.S. State Department has offered a US$25 million reward for information leading to al-Zawahiri's capture. He is under worldwide sanctions by the United Nations Security Council 1267 Committee as a member or affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Alternate names and sobriquets

Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri is pronounced [ˈʔæjmæn mʊˈħæmːæd rɑˈbiːʕ azˤːɑˈwæːhɪriː] or [aðˤːɑˈwæːhɪriː] in Arabic (the latter is in the Classical). Zawahiri is usually spelled Zawahri (from the pronunciation in his native Egyptian Arabic), but is sometimes spelled "Dhawahri" if transliterated directly from Modern Standard Arabic, also called Literary Arabic, in certain academic circles. Using the Intelligence Community Standard for the Transliteration of Arabic Names, it is spelled Zawahri.

Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (/oʊˈsɑːmə bɪn moʊˈhɑːmᵻd bɪn əˈwɑːd bɪn ˈlɑːdən/; Arabic: أسامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن‎, usāmah bin muḥammad bin 'awaḍ bin lādin; March 10, 1957 – May 2, 2011) was the founder of al-Qaeda, the organization that claimed responsibility for the September 11 attacks on the United States, along with numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets. He was a Saudi Arabian, a member of the wealthy bin Laden family, and an ethnic Yemeni Kindite.

Bin Laden was born to the family of billionaire Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden in Saudi Arabia. He studied at university in the country until 1979, when he joined mujahideen forces in Pakistan fighting against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He helped to fund the mujahideen by funneling arms, money and fighters from the Arab world into Afghanistan, and gained popularity among many Arabs. In 1988, he formed al-Qaeda. He was banished from Saudi Arabia in 1992, and shifted his base to Sudan, until U.S. pressure forced him to leave Sudan in 1996. After establishing a new base in Afghanistan, he declared a war against the United States, initiating a series of bombings and related attacks. Bin Laden was on the American Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) lists of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and Most Wanted Terrorists for his involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings.

Abu Bakr

Abū Bakr ‘Abdallāh bin Abī Quḥāfah aṣ-Ṣiddīq (Arabic: أبو بكر عبد الله بن أبي قحافة الصديق‎; c. 573 CE – 23 August 634 CE) popularly known as Abu Bakr (أبو بكر), was a senior companion (Sahabi) and—through his daughter Aisha—the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Abu Bakr became the first openly declared Muslim outside Muhammad's family. Abu Bakr served as a trusted advisor to Muhammad. During Muhammad's lifetime, he was involved in several campaigns and treaties.

He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632 to 634 CE, when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death. As caliph, Abu Bakr succeeded to the political and administrative functions previously exercised by Muhammad. He was commonly known as The Truthful (Arabic: الصديق‎, translit. As-Saddīq). Abu Bakr's reign lasted for 27 months, ending with his death after an illness.

Lineage and title

Abu Bakr's full name was Abd Allah ibn 'Uthman ibn Aamir ibn Amr ibn Ka'ab ibn Sa'ad ibn Taym (from whom the at-Taymi al-Quraishi) ibn Murrah ibn Ka'ab ibn Lu'ai ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr al-Quraishi.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Arabic: أبو بكر البغدادي‎; born 28 July 1971 as Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri) is the leader of the Islamic militant organisation known as the Islamic State and located in western Iraq, Libya, northeast Nigeria, and Syria. He was elected by the majlis al-shura, representing the ahl al-hall wal-aqd, of the Islamic State to be the caliph.

On 4 October 2011, the U.S. State Department listed al-Baghdadi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and announced a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to his capture or death. Only the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has a larger reward offered for his capture or death (US$25 million). The United States has also accused al-Baghdadi of kidnapping, enslaving, and repeatedly raping an American citizen who was later killed.

Over time, there have been a number of reports of Al-Baghdadi's death or injury; however, none has been verified.

Names

Abu Bakr al Baghdadi has had various names and epithets attributed to him, including Abu Du'a (أبو دعاء ʾabū duʿāʾ), alternatively called Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (أبو بكر البغدادي الحسيني الهاشمي القرشي, ʾabū bakri l-baḡdādī l-ḥusaynī l-hāšimī l-qurašī) and known to his supporters as Amir al-Mu'minin, Caliph Abu Bakr, Caliph al-Baghdadi, or Caliph Ibrahim (خَلِيفَةُ إِبْرَاهِيم ḵalīfatu ʾibrāhīm. This is besides his prior epithet, which was sheikh Baghdadi, or his birthname which was Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri (إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم البدري). His surname literally means one from Baghdad and denotes he comes from Baghdad city or Baghdad governorate in Iraq. In regions under ISIS control, various Islamic honorifics that recognize his rank may be used as a formal address recognizing him as a noble and a head of state that might precede or follow his name.