Al-Qaeda in The Arabian Peninsula - Alleged Members

Alleged Members

In February 2006, 23 prisoners suspected of being al-Qaeda members escaped from a Yemeni high-security prison, reportedly with the aid of some Yemeni security forces. One of the prisoners, Naser al-Wuhayshi, was announced as the leader of AQAP. He was once a close associate of bin Laden. Another prisoner, Qassim al-Raimi, became the AQAP military commander and the third-highest-ranking figure in the group. Analysts credit his talent for innovation, organizational skills, and ability to recruit for establishing a powerful, cohesive unit. He has also been able to take advantage of Yemen's "slow collapse into near-anarchy. Widespread corruption, growing poverty and internal fragmentation have helped make Yemen a breeding ground for terror." More than two years later, on April 25, 2012, a suspected US drone strike killed Mohammed Said al-Umdah, a senior AQAP member cited as the number four in the organization and one of the 2006 escapees. He had been convicted of the 2002 tanker bombing and for providing logistical and material support.

The next year, Wuhayshi made Said Ali al-Shihri his deputy after he was released from six years' incarceration in Guantanamo Bay in December 2007 to a Saudi rehabilitation program, from which he disappeared. Another Guantanamo detainee released to a Saudi rehabilitation program, Ibrahim Suleiman al-Rubaysh, also disappeared and is now described as the mufti, or theological guide, to AQAP. Anwar al-Awlaki also played a crucial role for AQAP.

Gregory Johnsen, of Princeton University, an expert on Yemen, said there was evidence that al-Qa'ida was building a powerful support base among the tribes, even marrying into local tribes. Another Yemeni analyst, Barak Barfi, discounted claims that marriage between the militant group and Yemeni tribes is a widespread practice, though he agrees that the bulk of AQAP members hail from the tribes.

Reportedly, as many as 20 Islamist British nationals traveled to Yemen in 2009 to be trained by AQAP. In February 2012, up to 500 Internationalistas from Somalia's Al Shabaab, after getting cornered by a Kenyan offensive and conflict with Al Shabaab national legions, fled to Yemen. Part of these guys are likely to join AQAP.

The following is a list of people who have been purported to be AQAP members. Most, but not all, are or were Saudi nationals. Roughly half have appeared on Saudi "most wanted" lists. In the left column is the rank of each member in the original 2003 list of the 26 most wanted.