• U.S. identifies additional al Qaeda leaders in Iran

    The State Department revealed today that ‘Abd al Rahman al Maghrebi, a senior al Qaeda leader who heads the group’s propaganda arm and has served as its “general manager,” is based in Iran. Maghrebi and four others based in Iran were designated as terrorists.

    U.S. identifies additional al Qaeda leaders in Iran
  • Ep. 35 – The Shadow War Inside Iran

    FDD senior fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu joins the podcast to discuss recent assassinations inside Iran and the state of the Iranian regime’s various proxy wars.

    Ep. 35 – The Shadow War Inside Iran
  • Ep. 34 – An Assassination in Tehran

    Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss the killing of al Qaeda’s deputy emir in Tehran. The operation was reportedly conducted by Israeli assassins at the behest of the U.S.

    Ep. 34 – An Assassination in Tehran
  • Generation Jihad Ep. 19 – Al Qaeda in 2020

    Hosts Bill Roggio and Tom Joscelyn discuss what al Qaeda looks like in 2020.

    Generation Jihad Ep. 19 – Al Qaeda in 2020
  • US to designate IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization

    The State Department announced today that it intends to designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. The IRGC’s activities span the globe.

    US to designate IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization
  • State Department: Iran allows al Qaeda to operate its ‘core facilitation pipeline’

    The State Department has released its Country Reports on Terrorism 2017. As in past reports, State says that “Iran has allowed AQ [al Qaeda] facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through Iran since at least 2009, enabling AQ to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria.”

    State Department: Iran allows al Qaeda to operate its ‘core facilitation pipeline’
  • UN: Iran-based leaders ‘have grown more prominent’ in al Qaeda’s global network

    A report by the United Nations includes new details concerning the dispute between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and al Qaeda’s senior leaders, including the role played by two veteran operatives living in Iran. The UN’s member states say that HTS is still in “contact” with al Qaeda’s leadership despite their heated disagreements, and that al Qaeda has even reinforced HTS with “military and explosives experts” sent from Afghanistan.

    UN: Iran-based leaders ‘have grown more prominent’ in al Qaeda’s global network
  • Analysis: 2 wanted al Qaeda leaders operate in Iran

    On Aug. 8, the State Department announced that it had increased its reward for information concerning the whereabouts of two veteran al Qaeda leaders: Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah and Saif al-Adel. Although State didn’t explain the move, there is evidence that the two al Qaeda managers were operating inside Iran as of 2017.

    Analysis: 2 wanted al Qaeda leaders operate in Iran
  • Al Qaeda’s alleged ‘representative in Syria’ previously freed from US Custody in Afghanistan

    The US Treasury Department designated Muhammad Hadi al-‘Anizi as an al Qaeda terrorist earlier this month. He was detained in Afghanistan in late 2001 at the age of 15. Al-‘Anizi was freed and thanked Kuwait’s leadership for his repatriation. He is now based in Kuwait.

    Al Qaeda’s alleged ‘representative in Syria’ previously freed from US Custody in Afghanistan
  • Treasury sanctions Kuwait-based al Qaeda facilitator

    The US Treasury Department announced today that Muhammad Hadi al-`Anizi, a Kuwait-based “facilitator and financier” for al Qaeda and its Syrian branch, has been designated as a terrorist. Al Qaeda’s senior leadership appointed Al-`Anizi as al Qaeda’s “representative in Syria” sometime in 2014. His brother was previously designated by Treasury, which has repeatedly targeted al Qaeda’s support network in Kuwait.

    Treasury sanctions Kuwait-based al Qaeda facilitator