Rashid Rauf
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Rashid Rauf (; 1981 – 22 November 2008) was an alleged
Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
operative. He was a
dual citizen Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...
of
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
and
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
who was arrested in Bhawalpur, Pakistan in connection with the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot in August 2006, a day before some arrests were made in Britain. Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao claimed that "he is an al Qaeda operative with linkages in Afghanistan". He was identified as one of the ringleaders of the alleged plot. In December 2006, the anti-terrorism court in
Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
found no evidence that he had been involved in terrorist activities, and his charges were downgraded to forgery and possession of explosives. A 2022 article offers an assessment of the impact of Operation Overt and refers to Rauf's alleged role Rauf was born in England to Pakistani parents, and brought up in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
where his father was a baker. Rauf was married to a relative of Maulana Masood Azhar, who is the head and founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, an Islamist militant group in Pakistan. Rauf escaped from custody in December 2007. He was reportedly killed by a US drone attack in Pakistan on 22 November 2008, carried out by the CIA's Special Activities Division. The report was based on communications intercepted from militants in
North Waziristan North Waziristan District (, ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . The capital ...
. His family initially denied that he was killed. While CIA and Pakistan intelligence officials maintained that Rauf was killed in the airstrike, the news site ''
Long War Journal ''FDD's Long War Journal'' (LWJ) is an American news website, also described as a blog, which reports on the War on terror. The site is operated by Public Multimedia Incorporated (PMI), a non-profit media organization established in 2007. ...
'' believed otherwise. On 11 August 2009, ''Asia Times Online'' claimed that Rauf was alive and living in North Waziristan. On 8 July 2010, however, a US counterterrorism official told the ''New York Daily News'' that Rauf was killed. Some of Rauf's associates also believe that he never escaped from prison in 2007 and that he might have been dead long before the airstrike; Hashmat Malik, a lawyer representing the family of Rauf's wife Umat al-Warood, has also argued that Rauf was probably killed during a prison shootout at the time of his alleged escape. British security sources also believed he might still be alive. On 27 October 2012, Rauf's family officially confirmed that he was killed in a US drone strike. A family friend also told the ''
Sunday Mercury ''Sunday Mercury'' is a Sunday Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid published in Birmingham, UK, and now owned by Reach plc. History The first edition was published on 29 December 1918. The first editor was John Turner Fearon (1869–1937), w ...
'' that Rauf's family was filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the British government, claiming that "They want justice for their son who was killed in murky circumstances that amount to cold-blooded murder. Rashid never had a chance to defend or explain himself. He was accused of some heinous crimes and without any trial, judge or jury he was blown to pieces by a unmanned Predator drone aircraft controlled by a soldier sitting thousands of miles away in the US. The Americans could not have found and killed him without help from British intelligence officers who shared information."


Timeline

12 August 2006: US and British sources said Rauf had a key role in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. Rauf, a British citizen, appeared before a Pakistani magistrate, according to Pakistan's Interior Ministry. Rauf is believed to have left the UK after his uncle was killed in 2002. He was not charged over the murder, which has never been solved. In 2011 German authorities detained a 22-year-old Austrian named Maqsood Lodin on his arrival in Berlin, a body search discovered memory devices, with more than 100 al Qaeda documents that included an inside track on some of the terror group's most audacious plots and a road map for future operations. One document was assessed as being written by Rauf, regarding Operation Overt (trans-Atlantic ocean airliner bomb plot in August 2006). See also UK assessment 15 August: Pakistan said it might extradite Rauf to Britain, although no request had been received, according to The
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
.UK police search for explosives
CNN
17 August: Pakistani intelligence claimed that the alleged UK aircraft plot was sanctioned by al Qaeda's then-number two, Ayman al Zawahri. They said investigations indicated that Rauf was the planner of the alleged attacks. "We have reason to believe that it was al Qaeda sanctioned and was probably cleared by al Zawahri", said a Pakistani official.Al-Qaeda Sanctioned Plot
Sky News
19 August: After two weeks of interrogation and a careful search of his house, too little evidence had been found to justify his extradition. 22 August: In Pakistan, law enforcement authorities continued to interrogate Rauf over his role in the plot. Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said British police were conducting inquiries in Pakistan but were not involved in questioning Rauf.
CNN
26 August: Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao said Rauf had "wider international links" and was in touch with an
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
-based al-Qaida leader. He did not offer any evidence to back up his claim. Pakistan has withheld information about at least seven suspects, whom security officials say were arrested on Rauf's information. Pakistan has no extradition treaty with Britain, but Sherpao said they would consider deporting Rauf to London if a request was made. Rauf, in his mid-20s, is believed to have been interrogated by Pakistan agents near the capital,
Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...
.Airline terror pilot suspect gives 'vital clues'
Evening Echo
13 December: Terrorism charges against Rauf are dropped. The Pakistani court finds there is no evidence that he is involved in terrorism. The British government stated this did not affect their proceedings against the other suspects. 14 December 2007: Rauf allegedly escaped from jail. Authorities say he escaped after freeing himself from handcuffs. The two police officials on duty were arrested by Islamabad police. The police also tightened security at public transport routes and especially in Rauf's native town, Mirpur. A month after this report surfaced, Rauf's lawyer denied he had escaped and said he was probably still in custody. 2008: Rauf had contact with Bryant Neal Vinas and other named al-Qaeda leaders before 19 August 2008 attack on Forward Operating Base Salerno, an American who joined al-Qaeda. Vinas was captured in November 2008, and convicted of participating in and supporting al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the USRotella, Sebastian and Josh Meye
U.S.-born militant who fought for Al Qaeda is in custody
''Los Angeles Times''. 22 July 2009.
Rashbaum, William K. and Souad Mekhennet

''New York Times'' 22 July 2009
22 November 2008: Rauf is reportedly killed in a US missile strike in Pakistan. After the Pakistan government failed to hand over his body, his family disputed the reports and believed he was still alive. 8 April 2009: British security sources claim Rauf was the mastermind behind an alleged terror cell, the members of which were arrested in North West England. It is unclear whether they thought he was still alive at this time. 27 October 2012: Rauf's family confirmed that he was killed in a US drone strike and announced that they planned to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the British government, accusing them of assisting the US in organising the attack.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rauf, Rashid 1980s births 2008 deaths 21st-century British criminals British al-Qaeda members British escapees British people imprisoned abroad Date of birth missing Deaths by drone strikes of the Central Intelligence Agency in Pakistan British male criminals English people of Pakistani descent Escapees from Pakistani detention Foreign nationals imprisoned in Pakistan Pakistani al-Qaeda members Pakistani criminals Pakistani escapees People from Birmingham, West Midlands Place of birth missing British expatriates in Pakistan People charged with terrorism