IntelCenter. al-qaeda s Badr al-riyadh Video v1.1 Sunday, 8 February :11:30 EST / 23:11:30 GMT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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1 al-qaeda s Badr al-riyadh Video v1.1 Sunday, 8 February :11:30 EST / 23:11:30 GMT by Ben Venzke (bvenzke@intelcenter.com) Page 1 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS BADR AL-RIYADH: THE ASSAULT ON THE CRUSADER AL-MUHAYA SETTLEMENT AND DISCOVERING IMPORTANT DETAILS 3 TURKI AL-DANDANI MARTYR UNIT 6 ALI BIN HAMID AL-MABADI AL-HARBI 8 NASSER BIN ABDALLAH AL-SAYYARI AL-KHALIDI 11 SURVEILLANCE OF THE AL-MUHAYA COMPOUND 14 PLANNING FOR THE AL-MUHAYA ATTACK 18 PREPARATION OF SUICIDE BOMBERS VEHICLE 19 CELEBRATION BEFORE AL-MUHAYA ATTACK 27 VIDEO OF THE AL-MUHAYA ATTACK 29 ABDUL AZIZ AL-MOQRIN 30 OSAMA BIN LADEN 31 SHEIKH ABU OMAR AL-SAIF 32 KHATTAB 33 SAHAB INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA PRODUCTION 55 Page 2 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

3 NOTE: THIS IS A DYNAMIC WORKING DOCUMENT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. Questions or comments can be directed to Ben Venzke at bvenzke@intelcenter.com or bvenzke@leo.gov. BADR AL-RIYADH: THE ASSAULT ON THE CRUSADER AL-MUHAYA SETTLEMENT AND DISCOVERING IMPORTANT DETAILS Page 3 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

4 On 4 Feb. 2004, al-qaeda s Sahab Institute for Media Production released a new produced video entitled Badr al-riyadh: The Assault on the Crusader al-muhaya Settlement and Discovering Important Details. The video is 01:31:08 in length. It focuses on the attack al-qaeda carried out against the al-muhaya housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 8 Nov in which 18 people were killed and 120 injured. All images in this report are of stills from the actual video or previous al-qaeda videos where noted. This is the eighth al-qaeda video by Sahab and the fourth one to be released in the past six months. The video contains statements from Osama bin Laden and other prominent jihadi leaders, such as the now deceased Chechen rebel commander Khattab, which all appear to be from older interviews and other videos. The video prominently features two of the participants in the al-muhaya attack who were killed during the operation, Ali bin Hamid al-mabadi al-harbi and Nasser al-khalidi. They are shown in a variety of settings including informal interviews. A video address from al-qaeda field commander in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz al-moqrin, appears on the tape, as well as an audio address by Sheikh Abu Omar al-saif. A significant portion of the tape is focused on al-qaeda s training activities in Saudi Arabia at the al-battar camp. Multiple stills from these portions appear at the end of this report. Among the training demonstrated is IED construction, entries, SA-7 SAM and RPG use and disarmament techniques. During the video al-qaeda states that one of the reasons for targeting the al-muhaya compound was to go after Arab Christians. This marks an expansion of al-qaeda s targeting strategy and additional strikes against Arab Christian targets or those perceived to be affiliated with Arab Christians can be expected. Page 4 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

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6 TURKI AL-DANDANI MARTYR UNIT IntelCenter The unit that carried out the al-muhaya attack was called the Turki al-dandani Martyr Unit. It s named after al-qaeda member Turki al-dandani who was killed by Saudi security forces on 3 July Two images of al-dandani from the al-qaeda video The Martyrs of Confrontations on the Arabian Peninsula are below. The second image is of al-dandani after he was killed. Page 6 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

7 Al-Dandani was wanted in Saudi Arabia for his alleged involvement in the May 2003 Riyadh attacks. He, along with three others were hiding in the mosque of an Imam in Soubar in southern Jawf, near the Yemeni border, when the mosque was stormed by Special Saudi police on 3 July He was killed in the firefight that ensued. Page 7 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

8 ALI BIN HAMID AL-MABADI AL-HARBI Page 8 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

9 Ali bin Hamid al-mabadi al-harbi was a participant in the 8 November 2003 al-muhaya housing compound attack. He was one of the people in the vehicle that was carrying the vehicular-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). He was killed in the attack. The first still shown above is of al-harbi in an informal interview. The second still is from his martyrdom tape. We sacrifice ourselves for the sake of establishing an Islamic state and to remove injustice against Muslims everywhere. Many youths are eager to carry out such martyrdom operations. In fact, these operations currently constitute an effective weapon against the enemies. Page 9 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

10 The prophet, may God's peace and prayers be upon him providing that when a dying person says something, then this is a will - ordered that the infidels be kicked out of the Arabian Peninsula. This is the base and the approach. We left for Bosnia in support of our brothers there. [words indistinct] Muslims who are persecuted and their scholars. We went there and then came back. So, we were imprisoned, tortured and thrown into cells. I was put in a cell for 15 months without any reason, except that I went to Bosnia. The brothers were tortured [word indistinct] and by stripping them of their clothes. One of the brothers told me that they stripped off all his clothes. One of the brothers said and all the brothers tell the truth, that he told the interrogator to fear God, but the interrogator told him to put God in the drawer, or something like that. Page 10 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

11 NASSER BIN ABDALLAH AL-SAYYARI AL-KHALIDI Page 11 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

12 Nasser bin Abdallah al-sayyari al-khalidi was a participant in the 8 November 2003 al- Muhaya housing compound attack. He was one of the people in the vehicle that was carrying the vehicular-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). He was killed in the attack. They portrayed the mujahideen to you as perverts and terrorists who want to destroy the homeland and kill citizens. This is a lie that no sane person can believe. If we want to destroy the homeland, then striking at the services from which the people benefit would be much easier than killing one American. Killing citizens would be much easier than Page 12 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

13 that. This is an unfair lie concerning the mujahidin. How could the mujahideen destroy their homeland, when they left their homeland to defend the Muslim land in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Chechnya? Actually, death is life, not death. He who does not die in the arena of jihad or does not die for the cause of God, then he will die in other ways. Death is the same. However, if death is for the cause of God, then it is the goal of every Muslim and believer. Page 13 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

14 SURVEILLANCE OF THE AL-MUHAYA COMPOUND The video contains day and night surveillance video of the al-muhaya compound. The day surveillance was shot from a moving vehicle as it drove past the compound. The night surveillance was shot from an elevated position overlooking the compound. Page 14 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

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18 PLANNING FOR THE AL-MUHAYA ATTACK The above still is shown while the video talks about the planning for the attack on the al-muhaya housing compound. According to the video, the al-muhaya compound was stormed within two-and-a-half minutes by an assault group that was specially trained for that purpose in a certain location in the Arabian Peninsula, which is frequently how the group refers to Saudi Arabia. Page 18 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

19 PREPARATION OF SUICIDE BOMBERS VEHICLE The vehicle used to carry the vehicular-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) in the al-muhaya attack was painted and disguised to look like an official Saudi security forces vehicle. Page 19 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

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26 A plate (shown above) carrying the number 314, which was a symbol for the number of Muslim fighters in the Badr battle, an early Muslim battle against the non-believers of Mecca, was attached to the front of the vehicle. It is unclear if this was left on for the operation. It was most likely removed after the video was made. Page 26 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

27 CELEBRATION BEFORE AL-MUHAYA ATTACK Page 27 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

28 The above stills are from the celebration before the al-muhaya attack. Page 28 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

29 VIDEO OF THE AL-MUHAYA ATTACK IntelCenter The video contains a roughly 2-minute audio and video recording of the attackers headed to the compound and engaging the guards at the al-muhaya housing compound. Page 29 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

30 ABDUL AZIZ AL-MOQRIN Abdul Aziz al-moqrin is identified as an al-qaeda field commander in Saudi Arabia. Al-Moqrin is on a Saudi list of most-wanted terror suspects. He has been identified in newspaper reports as the mastermind of the al-muhaya attack. The mujahideen target only the crusaders. As for the infidel leaders, their day will come, God willing. Page 30 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

31 OSAMA BIN LADEN Osama bin Laden is featured in the video along with other prominent al-qaeda and jihadi members, however, the video and their audio comments do not appear to be new. Page 31 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

32 SHEIKH ABU OMAR AL-SAIF IntelCenter An audio recording of Sheikh Abu Omar al-saif is played during portions of the video, however, no picture is shown. The above still, which contains a picture of al-saif, is from al-qaeda s video, The Wills of the Heroes: The Martyrs of the Two Holy Place, which was released on 17 October Page 32 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

33 KHATTAB A significant portion of audio from now deceased Chechen rebel commander Khattab is played during the video. The above still, which contains two images of Khattab, is from what is shown at one point while the Khattab audio is playing. Page 33 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

34 AL-BATTAR TRAINING CAMP IN SAUDI ARABIA These stills are from footage that is either all or partially shot at what is identified as the al-battar training camp in Saudi Arabia. Page 34 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004

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55 SAHAB INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA PRODUCTION The Sahab Institute for Media Production has served as the primary source of produced al-qaeda videos and some audio tapes. Including this most recent video, Sahab has produced eight al-qaeda videos. Four have been released in the past six months. A full listing of the videos is below. Badr al-riyadh: The Assault on the Crusader al-muhaya Settlement and Discovering Important Details 4 February 2004 The Martyrs of Confrontations on the Arabian Peninsula 3 December 2003 The Wills of the Heroes: The Martyrs of the Two Holy Place 17 October 2003 American Hell in Afghanistan and Iraq 10 September 2003 The Nineteen Martyrs September 2002 The Wills of the New York and Washington Martyrs 15 April 2002 The New Crusader Wars 1 circa February 2002 The Destruction of the Destroyer, USS Cole Copyright 2004 IntelCenter/Tempest Publishing, LLC, All Rights Reserved Permission to redistribute this report in its complete form, including this notice, with proper attribution to IntelCenter ( may be obtained by ing info@intelcenter.com. Permission must be obtained in writing before redistributing the entire report or any portion of it. Page 55 of 55 - v1.1 8 February 2004