1. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, known as Khalid Abu al-Abbas, The One-Eyed, Nelson, and The Uncatchable, was an Algerian leader of the group Al-Murabitoun, former military commander of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, smuggler and weapons dealer.
35 Facts About Mokhtar Belmokhtar
1. 2.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar was twice convicted and sentenced to death in absentia under separate charges in Algerian courts: in 2007 for terrorism and in 2008 for murder.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar later joined the Islamist GIA fighting in the Algerian Civil War and following that became a commander in the Mali-based Islamist Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
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On 2 March 2013, the Chadian state television and the Chadian Army reported that Belmokhtar had been killed in a raid by Chadian troops against a terrorist base in Mali.
5.
On 14 June 2015, Libya's government announced that Belmokhtar was killed in a US airstrike inside Libya.
6.
US officials confirmed the airstrike and that Belmokhtar was a target, but were unable to confirm that Belmokhtar was killed.
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In November 2016, Belmokhtar was targeted again in a French airstrike, conducted by French aircraft in southern Libya, based on intelligence from the United States.
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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed years later on their website that Belmokhtar was indeed killed in 2016.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar was born in Ghardaia, Algeria, on 1 June 1972 to a father named "Mohamed" and a mother named "Zohra Chemkha".
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar married four local Berber and Tuareg women from prominent families in northern Mali, cementing his ties in the region.
11.
In October 2015, Al-Qaeda spokesman, Hassan Abderraouf announced that Mokhtar was killed, but did not reveal when.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar trained in al-Qaeda's Afghan camps at Khalden and Jalalabad.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar wore a false eye in its place after that.
14.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar fought in the long and bloody Algerian Civil War to overthrow the Algerian government.
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However, as the GIA began to splinter and fall apart in the late 1990s, Belmokhtar left the organization.
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In 1998, Belmokhtar joined a new splinter group, the militant Algeria-based Islamist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, later known as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar went to Tamanrasset, Algeria, to raise money for jihad.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar gradually established an elaborate smuggling network in the ninth region, covering southern Algeria where many of the most profitable smuggling routes exist.
19.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar smuggled cigarettes, drugs, stolen cars, diamonds, and people, using the money to buy weapons to supply insurgent groups.
20.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar kidnapped for ransom dozens of Westerners, including diplomats, aid workers, doctors, and tourists from France, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Canada.
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The global intelligence company Stratfor reported that Belmokhtar commanded an estimated $3 million per European captive.
22.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar was appointed as a commander of his own brigade of AQIM.
23.
In 2011, his men attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in Mauritania, engaging in a drive by shooting of the Israeli embassy and shooting a nightclub that Belmokhtar claimed the ambassador had been in moments earlier.
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In late 2012, Belmokhtar was either removed or chose to quit AQIM.
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The letter describes a delegation sent to contact Belmokhtar that spent three years lost in the desert and then disintegrated without having reached him.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar's group allied with another Al Qaeda splinter group, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa.
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Mokhtar Belmokhtar justified the attack as a reprisal for the French intervention that had begun in Mali days before.
28.
On 2 March 2013, Chadian state television and the Chadian Army reported that Belmokhtar had been killed in a raid by Chadian troops against a terrorist base in the Adrar de Ifhogas mountains in north Mali.
29.
On 23 May 2013, Belmokhtar issued a statement confirming the death of Abou Zeid, contradicting Chadian claims of Belmokhtar's death.
30.
On 14 June 2015, Libya's government announced Belmokhtar was killed in a US airstrike inside Libya.
31.
US officials confirmed the strike and that Belmokhtar was a target, but did not immediately confirm that Belmokhtar was killed.
32.
Ansar al-Sharia named seven people it said were killed in the airstrike, but denied Belmokhtar was among them.
33.
In September 2021, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced in a book that Belmokhtar had become a "martyr" but did not say when he was killed.
34.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar was known by the following names: Abu Khaled, Bal'ur, al-Aouer, Khalid Abu al-Abbas, The One-Eyed, The Prince, Laaouar, The Uncatchable, Mr Marlboro, and MBM.
35.
Previously, Belmokhtar was known as the Commander or Emir of the Ninth Region.