Rashid Rauf

{{Infobox criminal

| name = Rashid Rauf

| native_name = راشد رؤوف

| native_name_lang = ur

| birth_date = {{abbr|ca.|circa}} {{birth year|1981}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, West Midlands, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2008|11|22|1981}}

| death_place = North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

| death_cause = Drone attack

| citizenship = British
Pakistani

| occupation =

| organization = Jaish-e-Mohammed
Al-Qaeda

| known_for = 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot

| criminal_charge = Terrorism

| escaped = 14 December 2007

| escape_end = 22 November 2008 (death)

}}

Rashid Rauf ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|راشد رؤوف}}}}; {{Abbr|ca.|circa}} 1981 – 22 November 2008) was an alleged Al-Qaeda operative.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/22/rashid-rauf-profile | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Rashid Rauf | first=Ian | last=Cobain | date=22 November 2008 | access-date=22 May 2010}} He was a dual citizen of Britain and Pakistan 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".{{cite web|author=today.reuters.com|title=Pakistan says al Qaeda member held over foiled plot|publisher=Reuters|access-date=11 August 2006|url=http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-08-11T174351Z_01_L11516706_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-BRITAIN-PAKISTAN-QAEDA.xml&src=rss&rpc=22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813124901/http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-08-11T174351Z_01_L11516706_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-BRITAIN-PAKISTAN-QAEDA.xml&src=rss&rpc=22|archive-date=13 August 2006|df=dmy-all}} He was identified as one of the ringleaders of the alleged plot. In December 2006, the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi 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 {{cite web| url = https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/02/liquid-bomber-plot-counterterrorism-international-cooperation-526246| title = How the U.S., U.K. and Pakistan Teamed Up To Stop Another 9/11 - POLITICO| website = Politico| date = 2 January 2022}}

Rauf was born in England to Pakistani parents, and brought up in Birmingham 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."[http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=JeM+chief's+father+questioned+about+Rauf&id=91718# JeM chief's father questioned about Rauf]", NDTV, 18 August 2006. Retrieved on 18 August 2006

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.[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/world/asia/23rauf.html Airstrike Kills Qaeda-Linked Militant in Pakistan], The New York Times, 23 November 2008 The report was based on communications intercepted from militants in North Waziristan.{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5219084.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401003944/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5219084.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=1 April 2009 | work=The Times | location=London | title=MPs seek answers as CIA kills British terror suspect Rashid Rauf | first1=Zahid | last1=Hussain | first2=Anthony | last2=Loyd | date=24 November 2008 | access-date=22 May 2010}} His family initially denied that he was killed.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/25/rashid-rauf-british-terror-suspect | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Rauf did not die in US attack, say fugitive's family | first=Saeed | last=Shah | date=25 November 2008 | access-date=22 May 2010}} While CIA and Pakistan intelligence officials maintained that Rauf was killed in the airstrike,{{Cite web|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/2009/08/pakistans_most_wanted_look_at.php|title = Threat Matrix - by the Long War Journal}} the news site Long War Journal believed otherwise.

On 11 August 2009, Asia Times Online claimed that Rauf was alive and living in North Waziristan.Shahzad, Syed Saleem. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090813071520/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/KH11Df03.html Guessing games over Taliban leader]". Asia Times Online. 11 August 2009. On 8 July 2010, however, a US counterterrorism official told the New York Daily News that Rauf was killed.[https://archive.today/20130630022130/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-07-08/news/27069354_1_terror-plots-rashid-rauf-counterterrorism-official articles.nydailynews.com] 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;{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/sep/08/rashid-rauf-terrorism-torture-pakistan | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Rashid Rauf: the al-Qaida suspect caught, tortured and lost | first=Ian | last=Cobain | date=8 September 2009 | access-date=22 May 2010}} 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.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6024678/Airlines-plot-al-Qaeda-mastermind-is-still-alive.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=Airlines plot: al-Qaeda mastermind 'is still alive' | first=Duncan | last=Gardham | date=10 September 2009 | access-date=22 May 2010}}

On 27 October 2012, Rauf's family officially confirmed that he was killed in a US drone strike.{{cite news|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/al-qaida-terrorist-rashid-raufs-270221|title=Family of Al Qaida terrorist Rashid Rauf to sue British Government for murder|first=Amardeep|last=Bassey|publisher=Birmingham Mail|date=27 October 2012|access-date=29 May 2012}} A family friend also told the Sunday Mercury 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.[http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/12/terror.plot/index.html Terror plot: Internet cafes raided] CNN 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.{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/30/world/al-qaeda-documents-future/index.html|title = Documents reveal al Qaeda's plans for seizing cruise ships, carnage in Europe| date=30 April 2012 }} One document was assessed as being written by Rauf, regarding Operation Overt (trans-Atlantic ocean airliner bomb plot in August 2006).{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/30/world/al-qaeda-documents/index.html|title = Document shows origins of 2006 plot for liquid bombs on planes| date=30 April 2012 }} See also UK assessment {{Cite web|url=https://raffaellopantucci.com/2012/05/19/german-trials-highlight-the-role-of-the-imu-as-a-feeder-for-al-qaeda-operations-in-europe/|title = German Trials Highlight the Role of the IMU as a Feeder for al Qaeda Operations in Europe|date = 19 May 2012}}

15 August: Pakistan said it might extradite Rauf to Britain, although no request had been received, according to The Associated Press.[http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/15/terror.plot/index.html 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.[http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1231293,00.html 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.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

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.[http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/22/uk.terror/index.html Air plot suspects appear in court] CNN

26 August: Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao said Rauf had "wider international links" and was in touch with an Afghanistan-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.[http://www.eecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=193474358&p=y93475x64&n=193475118 Airline terror pilot suspect gives 'vital clues'] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311124050/http://www.eecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=193474358&p=y93475x64&n=193475118 |date=11 March 2007 }} 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.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6175427.stm|title=UK 'plot' terror charge dropped|date=13 December 2006|access-date=18 December 2006|work=BBC News}}

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.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/jan/28/pakistan.world1 | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=The mysterious disappearance of an alleged terror mastermind | first=Ian | last=Cobain | date=28 January 2008 | access-date=22 May 2010}}

2008: Rauf had contact with Bryant Neal Vinas and other named al-Qaeda leaders before 19 August 2008 attack on Forward Operating Base Salerno,{{Cite web|url = https://ctc.usma.edu/the-haqqani-nexus-and-the-evolution-of-al-qaida/|title = The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida|date = 13 July 2011|access-date = 8 January 2022|archive-date = 8 January 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220108131038/https://ctc.usma.edu/the-haqqani-nexus-and-the-evolution-of-al-qaida/|url-status = dead}} an American who joined al-Qaeda.{{cite news|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jul-24-na-american-jihadi24-story.html|title=A young American's journey into Al Qaeda; Bryant Neal Vinas of Long Island, N.Y., tells investigators how he trained and fought alongside terrorists.|last1=Rotella|first1=Sebastian|last2=Meyer|first2= Josh|date=24 July 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=26 February 2010}} Vinas was captured in November 2008, and convicted of participating in and supporting al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the USRotella, Sebastian and Josh Meyer [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-american-jihad23-2009jul23,0,4748631.story?page=1 U.S.-born militant who fought for Al Qaeda is in custody]. Los Angeles Times. 22 July 2009.Rashbaum, William K. and Souad Mekhennet. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/23/nyregion/23terror.html?hp L.I. Man Pleaded Guilty in Attack on U.S. Base in Afghanistan]. New York Times 22 July 2009{{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/US_v_Vinas_guiltytranscript.pdf|title=Transcript of Guilty Plea; U.S. v John Doe; Sealed Pages|date=28 January 2009|publisher=US District Court, Eastern District of NY|access-date=26 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806082922/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/US_v_Vinas_guiltytranscript.pdf|archive-date=6 August 2009|df=dmy-all}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127953/Terror-blunder-Met-anti-terror-chiefs-mistake.html |title=Terror blunder: Met anti-terror chief's mistake |date=9 April 2009 |access-date=9 April 2009 |publisher=Daily Telegraph |location=London |first1=Gordon |last1=Rayner |first2=Duncan |last2=Gardham |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413015924/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5127953/Terror-blunder-Met-anti-terror-chiefs-mistake.html |archive-date=13 April 2009 }}

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

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite news

| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/6184087/Rashid-Rauf-training-dozens-of-British-terrorist-recruits-in-Pakistan.html

| title = Rashid Rauf 'training dozens of British terrorist recruits in Pakistan'

| work = The Telegraph (UK)

| author = Saeed Shah, Massoud Ansari

| date = 2009-09-14

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171004062613/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/6184087/Rashid-Rauf-training-dozens-of-British-terrorist-recruits-in-Pakistan.html

| archive-date = 2017-10-04

| access-date = 2019-02-18

| url-status = live

| quote = Rauf is said to be a key lieutenant of the group's leader, explosives expert, Abu Nasir. "He is an explosive expert who has effectively devised methods of explosives using easy-to-get ingredients that are virtually undetectable or can raise no alarms for authorities," said the intelligence source.

}}

Category:1980s births

Category:2008 deaths

Category:21st-century British criminals

Category:British al-Qaeda members

Category:British escapees

Category:British people imprisoned abroad

Category:Date of birth missing

Category:Deaths by drone strikes of the Central Intelligence Agency in Pakistan

Category:British male criminals

Category:English people of Pakistani descent

Category:Escapees from Pakistani detention