Qasim al-Raymi (قاسم الريمي; 5 June 1978 - 29 January 2020) was a Yemeni militant who was the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Al-Raymi was one of 23 men who escaped in the 3 February 2006 prison-break in Yemen, along with other notable al-Qaeda members. +more
Early life, Afghanistan and al-Qaeda in Yemen
Al-Raymi was born on 5 June 1978 in the Raymah Governorate, near the Yemen capital of Sana'a. He was a trainer at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan during the 1990s before returning to Yemen. +more
After escaping from prison in 2006, al-Raymi, along with Nasir al-Wuhayshi, oversaw the formation of al-Qaeda in Yemen, which took in both new recruits and experienced Arab fighters returning from battlefields across Iraq and Afghanistan.
The group claimed responsibility for two suicide bomb attacks that killed six Western tourists before being linked to the assault on the US embassy in Sana'a in September 2008, in which militants detonated bombs and fired rocket-propelled grenades. Ten Yemeni guards and four civilians were killed, along with six assailants.
Founding of AQAP
In January 2009, al-Raymi, along with three other men, appeared in a video calling for the foundation of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a unification of both al-Qaeda's Yemen and Saudi Arabian branches. He was introduced as AQAP's military commander. +more
Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi was an AQAP field commander, Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri was the Deputy of AQAP and Nasir al-Wuhayshi the former Emir of AQAP.
Military commander of AQAP
Saudi and American wanted list
On February 3, 2009, Saudi security officials published a new list of Saudi most wanted terrorist suspects. The 68th individual found on the list was named "Muhammad Qasim Mehdi Reemy" or "Qassem Mohammed Mahdi Al-Rimi", with the aliases "Abu Hurayrah" and "Abu Ammar". +more
On May 11, 2010, the U. S State Department listed al-Raymi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. +more
Previous reports of death
Al-Raymi's death has been reported multiple times. He was reported to have died during a raid by Yemeni security officials on 9 August 2007. +more
Abu al-Raymi was the target of a raid on al-Qaeda camps in Yemen on December 17, 2009, which reportedly was carried out by U. S. +more
It was reported that he was killed in a January 4, 2010 raid by Yemeni security forces, though this was proven false. However, according to officials, a Yemeni air strike on two cars, one of which reportedly contained al-Raymi, was conducted on Friday, January 15, 2010. +more
Following reports of his death, al-Raymi was described as the military commander for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He was reported to have "orchestrated" 25 December 2009 attempted suicide bombing of Nigerian Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab. +more
Apology for hospital attack
Following the 2013 attack on the Yemeni Defense Ministry, which resulted in the killing of numerous doctors and patients at a hospital present in the compound, al-Raymi released a video message apologizing, claiming that the team of attackers were directed not to assault the hospital in the attack, but that one had gone ahead and done so.
Yakla raid
On January 29, 2017, al-Raymi was the supposed target of a military action undertaken by the United States known as the Yakla raid. The raid resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL and of a number of civilians including a U. +more
Emir of AQAP
On June 16, 2015, following the death of former AQAP Emir and founder Nasir al-Wuhayshi, AQAP commander Khaled Batarfi confirmed al-Raymi had been elected by the group's leadership council to succeed Wuhayshi.
On July 8, 2015, al-Raymi swore allegiance to al-Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. He congratulated the recent successes of the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, and the gains made by Army of Conquest coalition in Syria. +more
On October 18, 2016, the US State Department announced that it is offering rewards of $5 and $10 million for information concerning al-Raymi and another AQAP leader. The US State Department offered $10 million for information on al-Raymi and $5 million for Khalid al-Batarfi.
For more than five years al-Raymi had eluded U. S. +more
Death
On January 31, 2020, The New York Times reported that three U. S. +more
On February 1, 2020, U. S. +more
On February 6, 2020, the White House released a statement confirming al-Rimi's death.
On February 23, 2020, AQAP confirmed al-Rimi's death and announced Khalid Batarfi as his successor.
Family
One of al-Raymi's brothers is Ali Yahya Mahdi Al Raimi, a Yemeni held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Ali Yahya Mahdi Al Raimi was transferred from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia in 2016.
Notes
Assassinated al-Qaeda leaders
Deaths by United States drone strikes in Yemen
Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government
Leaders of Islamic terror groups
Named on Saudi Arabia's list of most wanted suspected terrorists
People from Raymah Governorate
Yemeni al-Qaeda members
People killed in the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
Latest activity
