Al-Qaida / Al-Qaeda - Key Personalities

The following chart presents a hierarchical, and therefore somewhat flawed, view of major figures within the Al-Qaeda movement. It must be noted that Al-Qaeda is best described as a network of networks and that it is not organized as a traditional hierarchy. This tier structure is meant as a guideline to distinguish the suspected level of authority of different militants. The specific roles listed for each militant is what is suspected based on open source intelligence available. Also, this list is incomplete as it represents only what is known. It is a near certainty that there are many other important figures involved in Al-Qaeda and that militants who have been captured or killed have been replaced in their roles within the organization. Several of these figures belong primarily to other Islamic extremist organizations, but also have become affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Tier 1
Usama Bin Ladin Saudi (Leader) - killed	Ayman Zawahiri Egyptian (Leader) - at large	Hamza bin Laden killed
Atiyah Abd al-Rahman Libyan (Deputy) - reportedly killed	Saif al Adel (aka Saif Adel Makkawi), Egyptian (Security Chief) - at large	Muhammed Atef Egyptian (Operations Chief) - killed	Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Pakistani/Kuwaiti (Operations Planner) - captured
Tier 2
Younis al-Mauritani Mauritanian (Operations Planner) - captured	Abu Faraj al-Libbi Libyan (Operational planner, some claim he was 3rd in command) - captured	Mafouz Ould Walid Mauritanian (Counselor) - unknown, presumed killed	Abd Rahim Nashiri Saudi (Persian Gulf Operational Coordinator) - captured	Abu Musab Zarqawi (aka Ahmad Fadeel Khalayleh) Jordanian (Operational Planner) - killed
Zayn Abidin Muhammed Hussein (aka Abu Zubaida) Palestinian (Operational Planner) - captured	Tawfiq Attash (aka Khallad) (Pakistan Coordinator) - at large	Yazid Sufaat Malaysian (Biological weapons production) - captured	Fazul Abdullah Mohammed Comoros (Africa field commander) - at large	Sheik Said Al-Masri (Financial Aide) - at large
Riduan Isamuddin (aka Hambali) Indonesian (Southeast Asia Coordinator) - captured	Abu Hamza Rabia (Senior international operations commander) - reportedly killed
Tier 3
Karim Mejjati Moroccan (Operation Planner) - killed	Zaid Khayr (Operational Commander) - at large	Saad bin Laden Saudi (son of Usama bin Laden) - at large	Abu Ali Harithi (aka Abu Ali) Yemeni, (USS Cole attack planner) - killed	Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah Egyptian (Intelligence Chief) - at large
Ramzi Binalshibh Yemeni (9/11 Coordinator in Hamburg) - captured	Abu Zubair Haili Saudi (Operational Planner, Recruiter) - captured	Midhat Mursi (aka Abu Khabab), Egyptian (Chemical Weaponeer) - unknown	Ibn Shaykh Libi (Trainer - Training Camp Commander) - captured	Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (aka Gaith Abu Yusuf), Kuwaiti (Spokesman) - at large
Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (aka Ammar al-Baluchi) (Nephew of Khalid Sheik Mohammed) - captured	Mustafa Ahmed Hawsawi (aka Shaykh Saiid) Saudi (Media committee member) - captured	Abd Hadi al-Iraqi (Trainer - Camp Commander) - detained	Mohammad Jamal Khalifa Saudi (Financier, bin Laden's brother-in-law) - at large	Hasan Ghul Pakistani (Operational Planner) - captured