Khalil al-Deek

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Khalil Said al-Deek - (born 1957-April 2005) West Bank, aka Joseph Adams after 1996 had dual US-Jordanian citizen who came to USA to study computer science.^[1] He became a naturalized US citizen living in Los Angeles, California where he worked as computer engineer and Charity Without Borders staffer, where it is now believed that Adam Yahiye Gadahn (aka Adam Pearlman, aka Azzam the American) worked around that same time in 1997. The Charity was discovered to be an Al-Qaida organization used to funnel money overseas and wasn't shut down until after September 11, 2001. Hisham Diab was running this organization at the time and it was confirmed by his ex-wife Saraah Olson that Hisham and Khalil Said al-Deek recruited Adam Yahiye Gadahn and transformed him into an American-hating fanatic. This was also confirmed by the imam Haitham Bundakji of the Islamic Society of Orange County who described Hisham and members of his cell as "disruptive troublemakers" and places blame on himself for not reaching out to Gadahn.

Carrying a US passport, he moved to Peshawar, Pakistan, where he is believed to have met several times with Osama bin Laden. He was arrested on December 17, 1999 in Peshawar and extradited to Jordan for conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in Jordan.^[2] CNN reports that al-Deek is described as the leader of his group.

One report claimed Al-Deek and 27 others were indicted, in Jordan on March 29, 2000.^[3] The International Counter-Terrorism blog reported that Al-Deek was indicted in absentia and had already been extradited. The San Diego Union Tribune reported that Jordan held Al-Deek for 17 months before releasing him without charge.^[4]

Judith Miller, then of the New York Times, reported that al-Deek had business ties to Abu Zubaydah.^[5] Miller reported that al-Deek and Abu Zubaydah exported specialty honey, a traditionally high-valued product, and sent a portion of the profits to Osama bin Laden, and al Qaeda. Miller reported that the shipment of honey was used to mask the shipment of weapons.

Tim Golden, of the New York Times, reported that an unnamed American intelligence official suspected al-Deek collaborated with Moazzam Begg on a CDROM version of an "Encyclopedia of Jihad".^[6] The official claimed al-Deek gave a copy of this CDROM to two suspected Jordanian terrorists. Khalil al-Deek was reportedly killed in Pakistan in April of 2005, he had been living in the Peshawar with his wife; who was expecting their fifth child. It is unclear how his death occurred but it has been rumored he was killed by Al-Qaida for cooperating with Jordanian authorities, however it is also likely he was killed by Pakistani forces in a raid. There are still many questions about Khalil al-Deek, and exactly what is association and position was with the Al-Qaida terrorist organization, but it is clear he had close ties with Al-Qaida leadership; at one time even sharing a bank account with Abu Zubaydah. It is possible that his original arrest in Jordan and the information obtained from his laptop led to a series of important arrests in the war on terror, from Abu Zubaydah to Khalid Sheik Muhammed and possibly many more.