Overview

‘Abd al-Malik Muhammad Yusuf ‘Uthman ‘Abd al-Salam, better known as Umar al-Qatari, is a U.S.- and U.N.-designated fundraiser and arms and technology facilitator for al-Qaeda.“Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 24, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2651.aspx; “Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Adds Four Names to Its Sanctions List,” United Nations, January 30, 2015, https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc11750.doc.htm. Al-Qatari was designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury in September 2014 for his facilitation, financial and material support for al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Nusra Front and al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).Aliyah Frumin, “US Designates 12 Backers of Terrorist Organizations,” MSNBC, September 24, 2014, http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/us-designate-12-backers-terrorist-organizations. Also known as the “Wolf of al-Qaeda” al-Qatari was arrested in Lebanon in May 2012 as he attempted to board a plane for Qatar. He was carrying thousands of dollars intended for Nusra Front operatives in Syria.“Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 24, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2651.aspx.

Al-Qatari is an experienced fundraiser for al-Qaeda. In late 2011, he delivered thousands of dollars to U.S. and U.N.-designated al-Qaeda facilitator Muhsin al-Fadhli in Iran.Robert Mendick, “Banker who financed 9/11 mastermind now funding terrorists in Syria and Iraq,” Telegraph, October 4, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11140190/Banker-who-financed-911-mastermind-now-funding-terrorists-in-Syria-and-Iraq.html.

Al-Qatari also reportedly worked with countryman Ibrahim al-Bakr in 2012 to obtain and transport weapons to Syria. The two men received assistance from a Syria-based al-Qaeda associate. In the same year, al-Qatari reportedly raised money from Gulf-based donors online and organized the transfer of tens of thousands of euros from U.S. and U.N.-designated al-Qaeda financier Khalifa Muhammad Turki al-Subaiy. The money reportedly went to support al-Qaeda and its senior leaders.“Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 24, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2651.aspx. Additionally, according to local media sources, al-Qatari allegedly provided 200,000 Qatari riyals,18,000 euros, as well as night-vision goggles, communications equipment, weapons, and ammunition to contacts in Antakya, Turkey to be transferred to Syria.Aykan Erdemir and Varsha Koduvayur, “Brothers in Arms: The Consolidation of the Turkey-Qatar Axis,” Foundation for Defense of Democracies, December 2019, https://www.fdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/fdd-report-brothers-in-arms-the-consolidation-of-the-turkey-qatar-axis.pdf.

In early 2012, al-Qatari reportedly spent time at a training camp in Waziristan, Pakistan and traveled across the Gulf, the Levant, Iran, South Asia, and Southeast Asia to carry out recruitment and logistical support for al-Qaeda members in the Middle East. In May 2012, al-Qatari was apprehended by Lebanese authorities in Beirut as he attempted to depart for Qatar.“Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 24, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2651.aspx. He was carrying thousands of dollars intended for al-Qaeda and Nusra Front operatives in Syria.“Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 24, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2651.aspx.

The Nusra Front has been trying to negotiate a prisoner swap to free al-Qatari since 2013. During his detention, al-Qatari is believed to have facilitated communications between detainees in Lebanon and Nusra Front fighters located in Syria and Lebanon. Al-Qatari has also reportedly worked with Turkey-based Syrians in an effort to recruit them to work with the Nusra Front.Robert Mendick, “Qatar’s Moneymen Behind the Kidnappers,” Telegraph, October 5, 2014, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/qatar/11141419/Qatars-moneymen-behind-the-kidnappers.html.

On September 24, 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated al-Qatari as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist for his role in sending financial and material support to foreign terrorist fighters in Syria and elsewhere.“Treasury Designates Twelve Foreign Terrorist Fighter Facilitators,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, September 24, 2014, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl2651.aspx. The U.N. Security Council’s al-Qaida Sanctions Committee followed suit and on January 23, 2015 added al-Qatari to its sanctions list for providing financial, material, and technological support for al-Qaeda and the Nusra Front.“Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Adds Four Names to Its Sanctions List,” United Nations, January 30, 2015, https://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc11750.doc.htm.