Abu Zaid

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For the 10th century physician Abu Zaid al-Balkhi, see Ahmed ibn Sahl al-Balkhi.

Ahmad Nasser Eid Abdullah Al-Fajri Al-Azimi, also Abu Zaid Al-Kuwaiti, Abu Omar Al-Kuwaiti and Abu Dzeit ( – February 16, 2005) was a Kuwaiti Salafist Jihad fighter and suspected al-Qaeda agent operating first in Afghanistan and later in Chechnya and the wider Caucasus area.^[1][2]

Abu Zaid worked as a Kuwaiti actor in children TV programs, until he turned to religion and started working as an Imam at the Safwan Bin Omayah Mosque of Kuwait City, though he was soon sacked for illegally collecting donations from the mosque goers. In 1998 he first went to Afghanistan where he was reportedly trained at the al-Qaeda al-Farooq training camp, and then in October 1999 on to Chechnya.^[3] On February 16, 2005, Abu Zaid blew himself up after having been surrounded by Russian special forces in his safehouse in Ingushetia. He was suspected of numerous terror attacks, including organizing the Beslan school hostage crisis.^[4]

Abu Zaid was married to a Chechen wife, with whom he had two surviving sons.

[edit] References

1. ^ Evan Kohlmann (February 23, 2005). Death of Al-Qaida Emissary Abu Omar al-Kuwaiti (.pdf). Retrieved on January 5, 2007.
2. ^ Murad Batal Al-Shishani. The Rise and Fall of Arab Fighters in Chechnya (.pdf). Retrieved on January 5cc, 2007.
3. ^ Murad Batal al-Shishani. "Is the Salafi-Jihadist way still an obstacle to Russia in Chechnya?", Central Asia Analyst, Wednesday May 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 5. 
4. ^ Russian parliament report on Beslan backs security forces actions, Dec 22, 2006