Dubai, 27 June (AKI) - An influential Saudi al-Qaeda leader, Abdullah Muhammad Rashid Al-Rushud, reported killed recently in Iraq, travelled there after a serious split within the al-Qaeda leadership, a recent statement posted on Internet Islamist forums suggests. It provides a detailed argument regarding the divisions within the leadership of the terror network which, it argues, were behind al-Rushud's decision to go to Iraq. Last week, a message signed by the Jordanian militant, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, announced the death of al-Rushud, one of Saudi Arabia's 26 most wanted suspects, at al-Qaim. "Important truths about Sheikh Abdullah al-Rushud on the Arab peninsula with the mujahadeen" is the title of a message appearing on Islamist internet forums, signed by Ahmad al-Khilaila. Al-Rushud was famous for his January 2004 declaration challenging the legitimacy of the Saudi government in terms of Islamic law and was featured on the 26 most wanted list issued by the security authorities. When he disappeared from Saudi Arabia last summer, there was intense speculation about his whereabouts and what that meant. "Sheikh Saud al-Oteibi split from the leader Salih al-Oufi because of differences over how to carry out military operations because Sheikh Saud al-Oteibi wanted to follow the path of Abdelaziz al-Muqrin, who wanted to strike the crusaders and fight them," the message explains, talking about other leading Saudi militants on the most wanted list.
The first part of the statement outlines the clear division within the Saudi cell over tactics and refers to one of the last audio messages of the late local al-Qaeda leader, Abdelaziz al-Muqrin, killed in a gun battle with police in Riyadh on 18 June 2004. Al-Muqrin had called on his followers not to go to Iraq, but to concentrate on fighting the presence of American soldiers and diplomats in their own country. After al-Muqrin's death, the statement continues, "the differences began to emerge within the mujahadeen and the division into two groups. The first called itself 'the organisation of al-Qaeda in the Arab peninsula, and was led by sheikh Saud Al-Oteibi." The document says this first formation also included leading figures who fought in the battle at al-Ris at the start of April. The second group "The base of the Jihad in the land of the two holy places" [which resembles the name al-Zarqawi has given his formation in Iraq] was led by Salih al-Oufi, along with Abdullah al-Rushud and various other fighters who had been involved in the Falluja missing [sic - probably mission][a reference to the attack against the US consulate in Jeddah on 7 December, 2004] winning an important victory.
On the basis of Monday's statement, whose authenticity has not been fully ascertained, this internal split was the reason behind the decision by terrorist al-Rushud to leave Saudi Arabia and join al-Zarqawi's insurgents in Iraq. These elements also show how the strong personality of the Jordanian leader and the string of attacks that his followers are carrying out in Iraq have given him an important leadership role within the worldwide al-Qaeda network. His leadership appears to have influenced some of the Saudi cells who came to consider him a more important reference point than the local leader Saud Al-Oteibi, who was killed at Al-Ris.
After outlining the situation of the Saudi cells, the internet message goes on to piece together al-Rushud's final days. "The sheikh knew how to move freely on the peninsula and travelled in his BMW car. He took part in the battle of al-Fayha [in Iraq] and was wounded in the thigh. After being treated in May he wanted to take part in the battle of al-Qaim and had begun travelling overland in that direction. His brothers managed to get him there along with his bodyguards. Then I received the news that he and his bodyguards had died in a bombing raid at al-Qaim."
The announcement of al-Rushud's passing, posted on the Internet on 23 June by al-Zarqawi, also said he had died in al-Qaim. However, the Saudi Arabian authorities have not yet confirmed the reports of al-Rushud's death. Rumours had been circulating for some time prior to the announcement. A source close to the Islamist movements in Saudi Arabia told the satellite TV network al-Arabiya last March that Rushud had been killed during an internal showdown within the terrorist organisation in Saudi Arabia. The Dubai-based broadcaster added that the lack of concrete news about al-Rushud or statements by him for several months was proof of his death. According to their source, al-Rushud could have been eliminated by the late leader of Al-Qaeda, al-Muqrin, shortly before he himself was killed, for daring to criticise al-Muqrin's management of the local cells. This criticism revolved around the legitimacy, according to Sharia law, of terror attacks carried out during that period. Al-Rushud reportedly argued that terrorist activity must be concentrated on foreign and not Saudi targets because Islamic law did not allow the slaying of fellow Muslims. According to leading al-Qaeda experts, it is highly likely that al-Rushud died at al-Qaim, and various sources confirm that profound divisions emerged over the past year at the heart of Saudi Arabia's al-Qaeda leadership.