U.S. Treasury Designates Sa'ad Bin Laden (OBL's Son) and Mustafa Hamid (aka Abu al-Walid al-Masri), Top Al Qaeda Theorist (updated)

By Andrew Cochran

The U.S. Treasury Department has announced the designations of Sa'ad bin Laden, the third oldest son of Osama bin Laden, and other individuals (updated link). Last September, Sa'ad bin Laden was reported to have returned to Pakistan from Iran, according to messages posted on an al Qaeda jihad Web forum, after living (or being held prisoner) in Iran since the end of 2001, according to Iranians who discussed the issue with NBC News. Sa'ad allegedly worked with Khalid Shaik Mohamed and participated in planning a 2002 bombing in Tunisia which killed 17 people.

(UPDATE) The Treasury also designated Mustafa Hamid, also known as Abu al-Walid al-Masri, a top Al Qaeda theorist. Hamid wrote two books, "Chatter on the World's Rooftop," and "The Story of the Arab Afghans, From Their Entry Into Afghanistan Until They Left With Taliban." Excerpts of the latter book were published in October 2006 on Al-Sharq al-Awsat (tip to Laura Mansfield). He is considered one of the most senior AQ theorists and is close to Mullah Omar, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and OBL. He is also credited with helping to develop the Islamist militant movement in Australia through a short marriage to Rabiyah Hutchison, an Australian convert to Islam who was married earlier to Abdul Rahim Ayub, one of the founders of Jemaah Islamiah's branch in Australia.

(UPDATE, 12:20 pm ET) The Treasury Department has released much more information about these two and two additional AQ associates also designated. Interestingly, the purpose of the designations is to infer that the Iranian government is giving safe haven to senior Al Qaeda operatives, which justifies sanctions against Iran at a time when some are calling for "dialogue." I don't recall if Treasury has done that before. “It is important that Iran give a public accounting of how it is meeting its international obligations to constrain al Qaida," says Stuart Levey. Here are more facts on the four persons designated today:

Quoting Treasury:

"Sa'ad bin Laden, one of Usama bin Laden's sons, has been involved in al Qaida activities. For example, in late 2001, Sa'ad facilitated the travel of Usama bin Laden's family members from Afghanistan to Iran. Sa'ad made key decisions for al Qaida and was part of a small group of al Qaeda members that was involved in managing the terrorist organization from Iran. He was arrested by Iranian authorities in early 2003. As of September 2008, it was possible that Sa’ad bin Laden was no longer in Iranian custody.

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Mustafa Hamid is a senior al Qaida associate who served as a primary interlocutor between al Qaida and the Government of Iran. Before the fall of the Taliban, Hamid served as an instructor at a terrorist camp near Jalalabad that trained in the use of explosives. Hamid is the father-in-law of senior al Qaida military commander Sayf al-Adl. He formerly served as a correspondent for a satellite television station, at the request of senior al Qaida leadership. While living in Iran, Hamid was harbored by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which served as Hamid's point of contact for communications between al Qaida and Iran.

In the mid-1990s, Mustafa Hamid reportedly negotiated a secret relationship between Usama Bin Laden and Iran, allowing many al Qaida members safe transit through Iran to Afghanistan.

In the late 1990s, Mustafa Hamid passed communications between Usama bin Laden and the Government of Iran. When tensions were high between Iran and Afghanistan, Mustafa Hamid traveled multiple times from Kandahar to Tehran as an intermediary for the Taliban.

In late 2001, Mustafa Hamid was in Tehran delivering messages from the Taliban to the Government of Iran. Hamid also negotiated on behalf of al Qaida in an attempt to relocate al Qaida families to Iran. As part of this effort, senior al Qaida member Abu Hafs the Mauritanian traveled with Hamid and two IRGC members to Tehran for meetings. Beginning in late 2001, the family of a senior al Qaida military commander lived with Mustafa Hamid's family in Iran. Separately, in 2002 Mustafa Hamid facilitated contacts between the IRGC and another senior al Qaida military commander. In mid-2003, Mustafa Hamid was arrested in Iran along with other al Qaida members and associates.

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Muhammad Rab'a al-Sayid al-Bahtiyti is a senior member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) and an al Qaida operative. Bahtiyti has served as a trusted aide to his father- in-law Ayman al-­Zawahiri.

In the mid-1990s, Bahtiyti served on an al Qaida military committee and provided military training that included urban warfare tactics for al Qaida members. Bahtiyti drafted training manuals for al Qaida as well as a book on security that was used as a template for al Qaida's surveillance operations.

In 1995, Bahtiyti reportedly was involved in the bombing of the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

After September 11, 2001, Ayman al-Zawahiri instructed Bahtiyti to take al-Zawahiri’s family to Iran. Bahtiyti reportedly traveled to Iran with al-Zawahiri’s daughters, where he was subsequently responsible for them. In January 2003, while working from Iran, Bahtiyti arranged housing on behalf of al Qaida. Bahtiyti reportedly was arrested by Iranian authorities in mid-2003.

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Ali Saleh Husain is a senior al Qaida associate who had close relations with Usama bin Laden. Husain was responsible for logistics pertaining to al Qaida-affiliated fighters and acted as an interlocutor between al Qaida and its Chechnya-based affiliates. Husain coordinated with Usama bin Laden on the training of fighters in terrorist camps in Afghanistan who were preparing to travel to Chechnya.

Circa early 2001, Husain reportedly arranged a meeting that included a senior al Qaida operations chief to discuss operations planned against Israel. In April 2002, al Qaida senior official Abu Zubaydah indicated that the responsibility for operational meetings for attacks against Israel had been handed over to Husain. Husain also was reportedly Abu Zubaydah's secondary point of contact for obtaining fraudulent passports.

In 2001 after the fall of the Taliban, Husain facilitated the move of al Qaida-associated fighters, including an al Qaida military commander, from Afghanistan to Iran. After leaving Afghanistan, Husain was responsible for smuggling al Qaida members and associates via networks in Zahedan, Iran. In early 2002, Husain sent $20,000 to a senior al Qaida lieutenant who had requested financial assistance. Husain was detained by the Government of Iran in early 2003."