Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, more commonly known as Yasin al-Suri, is a senior al-Qaida facilitator based in Iran. Yasin al-Suri was arrested by Iranian authorities in December 2011 after the announcement of the $10 million Bounty and Reward offer, but he has resumed leadership of AQ’s Iran based network.
As head al-Qaida facilitator in Iran, al-Suri is responsible for overseeing al-Qaida efforts to transfer experienced operatives and leaders from Pakistan to Syria, organizing and maintaining routes by which new recruits can travel to Syria via Turkey, and assisting in the movement of al-Qaida external operatives to the West.
Al-Suri moves money and recruits from across the Middle East into Iran, and then on to Pakistan, to support al-Qaida’s senior leadership. Iranian authorities maintain a relationship with al-Suri and have permitted him to operate within Iran’s borders since 2005.
Al-Suri facilitates the movement of recruits for al-Qaida from the Gulf to Pakistan and Afghanistan via Iran. He is also an important fundraiser for al-Qaida and has collected money from donors and fundraisers throughout the Gulf. Al-Suri funnels significant funds via Iran for onward passage to al-Qaida’s leadership in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Working with the Iranian government, al-Suri arranges the release of al-Qaida personnel from Iranian prisons. When al-Qaida operatives are released, the Iranian government transfers them to al-Suri, who then facilitates their travel to Pakistan.
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Date of Birth: 1982
Place of Birth: al-Qamishli, Syria
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Aliases: al-Suri, Yaseen al-Suri, Izz al-Din Abd al-Farid Khalil, Zayn al-Abadin
Chronicles of Monte Friesner - Financial Crime Analyst - Contributed by Meherdad Azodi - Journalist