Mohamed Ali al-Zahawi

Mohamed Ali al-Zahawi (Arabic: محمد علي الزهاوي; also spelled Mohammad Ali al-Zahawi) was a Libyan Islamist militant leader who served as the emir of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, a Salafi-jihadist organisation active primarily in Benghazi after the 2011 Libyan Civil War.

Biography

Little is publicly known about al-Zahawi's early life. He was reportedly a former detainee of the government of Muammar Gaddafi and became involved in Islamist militant activity following the 2011 uprising against the Gaddafi government.

After the fall of Gaddafi, al-Zahawi became the leader of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, which established a presence in Benghazi and other parts of eastern Libya. The organisation advocated its interpretation of Islamic law and rejected Libya's post-2011 political system.

In September 2012, al-Zahawi was interviewed by the BBC, where he discussed Ansar al-Sharia's activities and ideology.

The group was designated as a terrorist organisation by several governments, including the United States, and was associated with militant activity in Libya.

Death

Al-Zahawi was reported to have been wounded during fighting in Benghazi in 2014. Ansar al-Sharia in Libya announced his death in January 2015, reportedly from injuries sustained during the conflict.