Overview
Sami al-Uraydi is a U.S.-designated member of the Shura Council of Syrian extremist group Hurras al-Din.Josko Baric, “Syrian War Daily – 28th of February 2018,” Syrian War Daily, February 28, 2018, https://syrianwardaily.com/2018/02/28/syrian-war-daily-28th-of-february-2018/; “Counter Terrorism Designation and Designations Updates,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 11, 2023, https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20230411. He was previously the Nusra Front’s main sharia authorityHassan Abu Haniyeh, “Who’s who in the Nusra Front,” Al-Araby, December 15, 2014, http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/politics/1993dc89-9ba6-47c1-b168-21e1fea50307. and reportedly served as the group’s second-in-command“Syria Al-Qaeda affiliate says will free UN troops,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 11, 2014, http://globalnation.inquirer.net/110949/syria-al-qaeda-affiliate-says-will-free-un-troops/. before he resigned from the Nusra Front in 2017 after the group announced that it would cut ties with al-Qaeda.Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, “Success for al-Qaeda in Syria?” Middle East Forum, December 18, 2017, https://www.meforum.org/articles/2017/success-for-alqaeda-in-syria.
Al-Uraydii has a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and a doctorate in Hadith (Islamic prophetic traditions) studies from Jordan University.Hassan Abu Haniyeh, “Who’s who in the Nusra Front,”Al-Araby, December 15, 2014, http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/politics/1993dc89-9ba6-47c1-b168-21e1fea50307. He has used social media to release sermons and declarations on behalf of the Nusra Front. He previously maintained a Twitter account under the handle @sami_oride and reportedly tweeted that the “ideal” jihadist is a moral individual watched by God and the public.“Nusra’s Sharia Cleric, Al-‘Oraidi: Who is he? And what is his response to the (IF/Sham Legion/etc) Revolutionary Code of Honor?” Tahrir Souri, May 19, 2014, http://tahrirsouri.net/2014/05/19/nusras-sharia-cleric-al-oraidi-who-is-he-and-what-is-his-response-to-the-ifsham-legionetc-revolutionary-code-of-honor/. Al-Uraydi has also used social media to attack ISIS, particularly after the group declared its caliphate in June 2014.Rita Katz, “The ‘Comical Caliphate,’” INSITE Blog on Terrorism & Extremism, July 1, 2014, http://news.siteintelgroup.com/blog/index.php/entry/196-the-comical-caliphate. Al-Uraydi said ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani “does not know what comes out of his head.”Rita Katz, “The ‘Comical Caliphate,’” INSITE Blog on Terrorism & Extremism, July 1, 2014, http://news.siteintelgroup.com/blog/index.php/entry/196-the-comical-caliphate. He also referred to ISIS’s leaders as “Muslim killers.”Rita Katz, “The ‘Comical Caliphate,’” INSITE Blog on Terrorism & Extremism, July 1, 2014, http://news.siteintelgroup.com/blog/index.php/entry/196-the-comical-caliphate. He declared war on ISIS in a December 2014 sermon posted to YouTube.“الشيخ الدكتور سامي العريدي المسؤل العام لجبهة النصرة يحرض على قتال الخوارج داعش,” YouTube video, posted by الصوارم على الخوارج صليل, December 27, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIrnl_Rhsgg.
Al-Uraydi is influenced by the teachings of Syrian jihadist Abu Musab al-Suri.Hassan Hassan, “A Jihadist Blueprint for Hearts and Minds Is Gaining Traction in Syria,” National [UAE], March 4, 2014, http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/a-jihadist-blueprint-for-hearts-and-minds-is-gaining-traction-in-syria. Al-Suri fought against the Syrian regime in the 1970s and ’80s. He became a media liaison between Western journalists and Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks.David Samuels, “The New Mastermind of Jihad,” Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2012, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303299604577323750859163544. He believes Muslims should take on individual jihad that isn’t tied to any one group.David Samuels, “The New Mastermind of Jihad,” Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2012, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303299604577323750859163544. The CIA captured him in 2005 and turned him over to Syrian authorities. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad released him in December 2011.David Samuels, “The New Mastermind of Jihad,” Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2012, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303299604577323750859163544. The Wall Street Journal dubbed him “the new mastermind of jihad.”David Samuels, “The New Mastermind of Jihad,” Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2012, http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303299604577323750859163544.
Al-Uraydi resigned from the Nusra Front on February 8, 2017.Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, “Success for al-Qaeda in Syria?” Middle East Forum, December 18, 2017, https://www.meforum.org/articles/2017/success-for-alqaeda-in-syria. On November 27, 2017, Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani ordered the arrests of al-Uraydi; Abu Julaibib al-Ordoni, former Nusra Dara’a commander; Iyad Nazmi Salih Khalil, former Jabhat Fateh al-Sham commander; Abu Khadija al-Ordoni; and Abu Mussaab al-Libi. All four were prominent Nusra leaders with strong ties to al-Qaeda.Mona Alami, “HTS Continues to Evolve,” Syria Source, December 1, 2017, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/syriasource/hts-continues-to-evolve. Following these arrests, several members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the current incarnation of the Nusra Front, resigned, and several large factions threatened to break away.“Weekly Conflict Summary, November 30–December 6, 2017,” Carter Center, December 6, 2017, https://www.cartercenter.org/resources/pdfs/peace/conflict_resolution/syria-conflict/weekly-conflict-summary-2017.11.30-12.05.pdf. Al-Uraydi was released from an HTS prison that December.Aymenn. al-Tamimi, Twitter post, December 11, 2017, 11:37 a.m., https://twitter.com/ajaltamimi/status/940259316526931969.
Subsequently, several subgroups of devoted al-Qaeda supporters defected from HTS. On December 5, 2017, HTS faction Jaish al-Badia defected, creating a new Telegram channel devoted to al-Qaeda.Tore Refslund Hamming and Pieter Van Ostaeyen, “The True Story of al-Qaeda’s Demise and Resurgence in Syria,” Lawfare, April 8, 2018, https://lawfareblog.com/true-story-al-qaedas-demise-and-resurgence-syria. Jaish al-Malahem followed three weeks later, also indicating support for al-Qaeda in its new Telegram channel, while on February 7, 2018, a new al-Qaeda-supporting group, Jund al Shariah, announced its formation.Tore Refslund Hamming and Pieter Van Ostaeyen, “The True Story of al-Qaeda’s Demise and Resurgence in Syria,” Lawfare, April 8, 2018, https://lawfareblog.com/true-story-al-qaedas-demise-and-resurgence-syria. On February 28, 2018, these three groups, along with three other small militant factions, announced a merger under the name Hurras al-Din (HaD), or Guardians of the Religion, and declared themselves an unofficial affiliate of al-Qaeda.Tore Refslund Hamming and Pieter Van Ostaeyen, “The True Story of al-Qaeda’s Demise and Resurgence in Syria,” Lawfare, April 8, 2018, https://lawfareblog.com/true-story-al-qaedas-demise-and-resurgence-syria. Al-Uraydi joined HaD’s Shura council and reportedly began talks with al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to make HaD the official al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. HaD remains at odds with HTS.Tore Refslund Hamming and Pieter Van Ostaeyen, “The True Story of al-Qaeda’s Demise and Resurgence in Syria,” Lawfare, April 8, 2018, https://lawfareblog.com/true-story-al-qaedas-demise-and-resurgence-syria.
In September 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of al-Uraydi and four other HaD leaders.“Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on Senior Leaders of Hurras al-Din,” U.S. Department of State, September 12, 2019, https://www.state.gov/rewards-for-justice-reward-offer-for-information-on-senior-leaders-of-hurras-al-din/.
Given al-Uraydi’s leadership position in HaD as well as his role in promoting and inciting terrorist acts in support of al-Qaeda, on May 30, 2022, the Council of the European Union added al-Uraydi to the EU sanctions list.“EU fight against terrorism: one group and two individuals added to the EU sanctions list,” Council of the European Union, May 30, 2022, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/05/30/eu-fight-against-terrorism-one-group-and-two-individuals-added-to-the-eu-sanctions-list/. The U.S. Department of State designated al-Uraydi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) on April 11, 2023.“Terrorist Designation of Hurras al-Din Leader,” U.S. Department of State, April 11, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designation-of-hurras-al-din-leader/.
Associated Groups
- Extremist entity
- Hurras al-Din
- Read Threat Report
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Non-state actor, religious, terrorist, national, violent
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Jihadist, pan-Islamist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
- Position(s):
- Shura Council member
Hurras al-Din (HaD) was formed on February 27, 2018, by a merger of seven hardline Syrian rebel factions. Ten more minor rebel factions joined the group in the months following its formation, all with a history of ideological and leadership ties to al-Qaeda. HaD is avowedly loyal to al-Qaeda and its leadership is dominated by non-Syrian al-Qaeda veterans.
- Extremist entity
- The Nusra Front (Jabhat Fateh al-Sham)
- Read Threat Report
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Insurgent, non-state actor, terrorist, transnational, violent
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Al-Qaeda and affiliated groups, Islamist, jihadist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni
- Position(s):
- Main sharia authority, second-in-command
Hurras al-Din (HaD) was formed on February 27, 2018, by a merger of seven hardline Syrian rebel factions. Ten more minor rebel factions joined the group in the months following its formation, all with a history of ideological and leadership ties to al-Qaeda. HaD is avowedly loyal to al-Qaeda and its leadership is dominated by non-Syrian al-Qaeda veterans.
History
United States
The U.S. Department of State designated Sami Mahmud Mohammed al Uraydi a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on April 11, 2023.“Terrorist Designation of Hurras al-Din Leader,” U.S. Department of State, April 11, 2023, https://www.state.gov/terrorist-designation-of-hurras-al-din-leader/.
The U.S. government offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Sami al-Uraydi’s arrest on September 12, 2019.“Wanted – Information that brings to justice… Sami al-Uraydi,” Rewards for Justice, accessed February 5, 2020, https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/sami_al_uraydi.html; “Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on Senior Leaders of Hurras al-Din,” U.S. Department of State, September 12, 2019, https://www.state.gov/rewards-for-justice-reward-offer-for-information-on-senior-leaders-of-hurras-al-din/.
The European Union
On May 30, 2022, the Council of the European Union added Sami al-Aridi to the EU sanctions list.“EU fight against terrorism: one group and two individuals added to the EU sanctions list,” Council of the European Union, May 30, 2022, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/05/30/eu-fight-against-terrorism-one-group-and-two-individuals-added-to-the-eu-sanctions-list/.
Daily Dose
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On May 8, 2019, Taliban insurgents detonated an explosive-laden vehicle and then broke into American NGO Counterpart International’s offices in Kabul. At least seven people were killed and 24 were injured.