| Omar al-Faruq | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1971 |
| Died | Basra, Iraq |
| Citizenship | Kuwait |
| Detained at | Bagram Theater Internment Facility |
| Alternate name | Faruq al-Iraqi |
| Status | escaped custody, deceased |
Omar al-Faruq (Arabic: عمر الفاروق) (24 May 1971 - 25 September 2006)[1] was a Kuwaiti of Iraqi descent,[2] and a senior al-Qaeda member. He was a liaison between al-Qaeda and Islamic terrorists in the Far East, particularly Jemaah Islamiyah. He was captured in Bogor, Indonesia in 2002 by an Indonesian security agent who handed him over to the United States.[3] Al-Faruq's capture was based on information derived from the capture of Abu Zubaydah.[4] Al-Faruq in turn revealed information about a plot to bomb embassies in the Southeast Asia, giving rise the "yellow alert" of 10 September 2002.[3]
In July 2005, al-Faruq escaped from Bagram prison with three other al Qaeda suspects; see Bagram escape. The U.S. did not acknowledge his escape until November when they were unable to produce him as a witness called by defense attorney Michael Waddington, in the trial of a U.S. sergeant, Alan Driver, accused of abuse at the prison.
On September 25, 2006, Al-Faruq was killed by British troops operating in the Iraqi city of Basra. The operations took place in pre-dawn hours and involved over 200 soldiers. There were no British casualties.[5]
Former Indonesian state intelligence Coordinating Board (BAKIN) chief A. C. Manulang in a September 2002 interview with Indonesian TEMPO magazine alleged that Al-Faruq was a CIA agent assigned to infiltrate Islamic radical groups and recruit local agents within these groups. Manulang concluded this based on analysis of the pattern used by Al-Faruq of having a Kuwaiti citizenship but holding a Pakistani passport, entering Indonesia as a refugee and marrying an Indonesian woman.[6][7]