Qasim al-Raymi

Abu Hureira Qasm al-Rimi
Born	5 June 1978 Yemen
Nationality	Yemeni
Other names	Qassim al Rimi
Known for	Emir of AQAP
Religion	Islam (Salafism)
Military career
Allegiance	Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda in Yemen (1998–2009) AQAP (2009–present)
Years of service	1990's–present
Rank	Emir of AQAP
Battles/wars	Yemen Insurgency 2012 Abyan offensive Yemeni Civil War

Qasim al-Raymi (Arabic: قاسم الريمي‎‎) is the current emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).^[1][2][3] Al-Raymi is one of 23 men who escaped in the 3 February 2006 prison-break in Yemen, along with other notable al-Qaeda members. He next appears in connection to a July 2007 suicide bombing that killed eight Spanish tourists. In 2009, the Yemeni government accused him of being responsible for the running of an al-Qaeda training camp in Abyan province. After serving as AQAP's military commander, Al-Raymi was promoted to leader after the death of Nasir al-Wuhayshi on June 12, 2015.^[4]

Early life, Afghanistan and al-Qaeda in Yemen

al-Raymi was born on 5 June 1978 in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a. He was a trainer at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan during the 1990s before returning to Yemen. In 2004, he was imprisoned for five years for being suspected in a series of embassy bombings in the capital.^[5][6]

After escaping from prison in 2006, al-Raymi, along with Nasir al-Wuhayshi, oversaw the formation of al-Qaeda in Yemen, which took in both new recruits and experienced Arab fighters returning from battlefields across Iraq and Afghanistan.^[7][8]

The group claimed responsibility for two suicide bomb attacks that killed six Western tourists before being linked to the assault on the US embassy in Sanaa in September 2008, in which militants detonated bombs and fired rocket-propelled grenades. Ten Yemeni guards and four civilians were killed, along with six assailants.^[7]

Founding of AQAP

In January 2009, al-Raymi, along with four other men, appeared in a video calling for the foundation of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a unification of both al-Qaeda's Yemen and Saudi Arabian branches. He was introduced as AQAP's military commander. The other men were identified as Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri and Nasir al-Wuhayshi.^[9][10][11]

Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi was an AQAP field commander, Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri was the Deputy of AQAP and Nasir al-Wuhayshi the former Emir of AQAP.^[7][12][13]

Military commander of AQAP

Saudi and American wanted list

On 3 February 2009, Saudi security officials published a new list of Saudi most wanted terrorist suspects.^[14][15] The 68th individual found on the list was named "Muhammad Qasim Mehdi Reemy" or "Qassem Mohammed Mahdi Al-Rimi", with the aliases "Abu Hurayrah" and "Abu Ammar". Qassem Al-Rimi on the Saudi wanted list was one of two Yemenis on the list, and was said to be a "linked to Al Qaeda in Yemen, Saudi Arabia". According to the Associated Press he has "links to a plot targeting the U.S. ambassador in San'a."^[16][17] They reported he rented the house where the operation was planned and he "monitored the US embassy".

On 11 May 2010, the U.S State Department listed al-Raymi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and announced a reward of $5 million for any information leading to his capture or death.^[6][18]

Reports of death

Al Rimi's death has been reported multiple times. He was reported to have died during a raid by Yemeni security officials on 9 August 2007.^[19] Ali bin Ali Douha and two other militants were reported to have been killed during the raid.

Abu al-Rimi was the target of a raid on al-Qaeda camps in Yemen on 17 December 2009, which reportedly was carried out by US cruise missiles.^[20][21] He was not reported killed.

It was reported that he was killed in a 4 January 2010 raid by Yemeni security forces, though this was proven false. However, according to officials, a Yemeni air strike on two cars, one of which reportedly contained al-Rimi, was conducted on Friday, 15 January 2010. Al-Rimi was reported to be one of those killed.^[22][23] Of the eight men thought to be in the two cars, six are thought to have been killed in the strike.^[24]

Following reports of his death Al Rimi was described as the military commander for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.^[22][23] He is reported to have "orchestrated" the 25 December 2009 attempted suicide bombing of Nigerian Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab. Al-Rimi announced the creation of an "Aden-Abyan Army" to free the country of "crusaders and their apostate agents," in an Internet audio tape.^[25]

Apology for hospital attack

Following the 2013 attack on the Yemeni Defense Ministry, which resulted in the killing of numerous doctors and patients at a hospital present in the compound, al-Rimi released a video message apologizing, claiming that the team of attackers were directed not to assault the hospital in the attack, but that one had gone ahead and done so.^[26]

Emir of AQAP

On 16 June 2015, following the death of former AQAP Emir and founder Nasir al-Wuhayshi, AQAP commander Khaled Batarfi confirmed al-Raymi had been elected by the group's leadership council to succeed Wuhayshi.^[7]

On July 9, al-Raymi swore allegiance to al-Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. He congratulated the recent successes of the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, and the gains made by Army of Conquest coalition in Syria. He called for renewed attacks against the United States, remarking "“All of you must direct and gather your arrows and swords against [America].".^[8]

References