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Mohammed Atef

Al-Qaeda Operations Chief

Dead

Mohammed Atef

Details
	Importance	Highest
	Means of Death	U.S. airstrike
	Date of Death	Nov. 14, 2001²
	Location of Death	Kabul, Afghanistan
	Affiliation	Al-Qaeda
	Role	Operations Chief
	Supervisor	Osama bin Laden
	Affiliation	Egyptian Islamic Jihad¹
	Affiliation	Al-Qaeda majlis al shura³
	Affiliation	Al-Qaeda Military Committee³
	Nationality	Egyptian
	Alias(es)	Abu Hafs al-Masri³, Abu Hafs El-Masry El-Khabir^3,4,5, Sheikh Taysir Abdullah^3,4, Abu Khadijah³, Abu Fatima³, Sobhi al-Sitta , Abu Hafs el-Misri³, Abu Hafs³, Al-Khabir⁵
	Alternate Spelling(s)	Mohammed Atif, Muhammed Atef
	Rough Age at Death	57
	Date of Birth	1944¹
	Place of Birth	Minoufia, Egypt¹
	Height	6'5'⁴
	Gender	Male
	Description	Hair: Dark brown or black. Wears full beard or mustache.⁴
	Charged with	Conspiracy, Murder³
	Charging authority	United States
	In connection with	East African Embassy Bombings
	Charges issued	Nov. 4, 1998
	Charging authority	Egypt
	Case status	Convicted¹
	Convictions	Subversion and membership in Egyptian Islamic Jihad (in absentia)¹
	Sentence	Life imprisonment ¹
	Case resolved	1999

Narrative and Notes

	Reliable	Atef served as al-Qaeda's miltitary chief until he was tracked and killed by American forces shortly after Sept. 11. He replaced Abu Ubaidah al-Banshiri in that role. Atef and Ayman al-Zawahiri served as Osama bin Laden's two closest advisers until his death. The former Egyptian policeman joined Egyptian Islamic Jihad and became a leader in the organization, ultimately supporting the group's merger with al-Qaeda in 1998. In 2001, Atef's daughter married Osama bin Laden's son Mohammed. He is considered one of the founders of al-Qaeda. He sat on the maljis al shura, or consultation council, of the organization. He oversaw training for al-Qaeda recruits. He played an organizing role in the 1993 attacks on U.S. troops in Somalia, the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings, and the Sept. 11 attacks. His death was the first major U.S. victory against al-Qaeda during the war in Afghanistan.^1,3

	Possible	Atef may have persuaded bin Laden to approve Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's proposal for the 9-11 attacks, and may have played a more significant role in their planning than is often described.⁶

Sources
¹ Lumpkin, John. 'Top bin Laden aide killed by airstrike.' The Associated Press: Nov. 16, 2001.
² The precise date of his death was not made clear, but it is within a day of Nov. 14, 2001.
³ United States vs. Osama bin Laden et al indictment, Nov. 4, 1998, and updates.
⁴ FBI Executive Summary. Status of embassy bombings investigation dated Nov. 18, 1998. Posted online by PBS' 'Frontline' program.
⁵ Al-Khabir means 'the big guy.'
⁶ The 9-11 Commission Final Report. July 22, 2004. Chapter 5.2.
Photo: FBI

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Mohammed Atef

Al-Qaeda Operations Chief