Islamic Terrorist. Born Ahmed al-Khalayeh in Zarqa, Jordan, he was considered one of the top international terrorists in Iraq and the Middle East, responsible for numerous suicide bombings, kidnappings, hostage executions and acts of violence against Iraqi civilians and American led forces within the country. He began his militancy in the late 1980s directing attacks against Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan, and spent several years in a Jordan prison for the unsuccessful overthrow of the Jordanian monarchy. Following his release from prison he traveled extensively throughout the Middle East inciting violence against Western and Israeli interests. In 2004 he pledged his allegiance to Al-Qaeda’s Osama Bin-Laden and became Al-Qaeda’s chief operating architect and mastermind in the region. In October 2002 he directed the assassination of United States diplomat Laurence Foley and participated in the May 2004 beheading execution of American Nicholas Berg. Following the Berg execution he was placed on America’s most wanted terrorist list with the United States offering a 25 million dollar reward for information leading to his capture and arrest. In April 2006 he appeared in a training video defending the insurgency in Iraq, mocking American efforts to bring peace and stability to the region. He was killed with his spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman in an American-led air strike against an Al-Qaeda safe house 30 miles outside of Baghdad. He was identified through photographs and fingerprint records. (bio by: Nils M. Solsvik Jr.)