Ali bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi, known as Abu Zubayr al-Tunisi, was a Tunisian Islamic militant and a senior leader in the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic ter ...

. He was also a suspect in the

2012 Benghazi attack The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia. On September 11, 2012, at 9:40 pm local time, members of Ansar al ...

History

Early life

He was born 9 March 1986 in either

Ariana Governorate Ariana Governorate ( ' ) is one of the twenty-four governorates (provinces) of Tunisia. It is in northern Tunisia, approximately triangular, having as one of its sides part of the Gulf of Tunis, it covers an area of 482 km² and has a popu ...

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Islamic militancy

He was a member of

Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia) Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia ( ar, أنصار الشريعة في تونس, "''Supporters of Islamic Law in Tunisia''") is a radical Islamist group that operates in Tunisia. In 2013, the group was estimated to have roughly 10,000 members. It has b ...

and active in recruitment of foreign fighters as well as being involved in arms smuggling. He was detained and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment for planning terrorist acts in 2005 in Tunisia. In October 2012 he was arrested in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

and extradited to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

on terrorism charges and possible links to the attack on the U.S. consulate in

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghaz ...

. He was making his way to

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

at the time. In December 2012,

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

agents questioned him about the Benghazi attack.

stalked the agents during their time in Tunisia. The group posted their pictures online while condemning the Tunisian government for allowing the FBI to interview Harzi. In the same month, the group released a video discussing Harzi's case and confirming the FBI's role in his questioning. On January 8, 2013, he was released because of a lack of evidence. Ansar al-Sharia posted a video celebrating Harzi's release. Harzi spoke in the video which showed him being congratulated by his fellow jihadists.

US and UN sanctions

He was sanctioned by the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

on April 14, 2015. He was listed by the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, ...

on 10 April 2015.

Death

He was killed in an airstrike in

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

on June 15, 2015.

Family

His brother, Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-'Awni al-Harzi, known as Abu Umar al-Tunisi, was also an Islamic militant with the

. He was killed in

on 16 June 2015, the day after the death of his younger brother. Their father's name is Taher Ouni Harzi while their mother's name is Borkana Bedairia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harzi, Ali Awni al- 1986 births 2015 deaths Assassinated ISIL members Deaths by American airstrikes during the Syrian civil war Deaths by United States drone strikes in Iraq People from Aryanah Tunisian Islamists