Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir

Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
ابو الحسن المهاجر
Born	Thaher Salim Mohammad Al-Shahiri; 1977; Riyadh
Died	27 October 2019 (aged 41–42); Ayn al-Bayda, Jarabulus
Cause of death	Air strike
Nationality	Saudi Arabian
Occupation	Official spokesman of the Islamic State
Successor	Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
Movement	Islamic State
Criminal charge(s)	Designated a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council and the US State Department

Thaher Salim Mohammad Al-Shahiri (Arabic: ظاهر سليم محمد الشاهري)^[1] known by his nom de guerre Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir (Arabic: أبو الحسن المهاجر; died 27 October 2019)^[2] was the kunya used by the official spokesman of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from 5 December 2016 until 27 October 2019, when he was killed in a U.S. airstrike in northwest Syria. He was a Saudi national.^[3] He was replaced by Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi.

History

Abul-Hasan was the successor of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, who was killed while visiting the Aleppo frontlines in Syria in August 2016.^[4] He was believed to have been a foreigner due to his kunya identifying him as "al-Muhajir" meaning "the emigrant". After his death, he was confirmed to be a Saudi national on 31 October.^[5]

Speeches

"And You Will Remember What I [Now] Say To You" – 5 December 2016^[6]
"So Be Patient. Indeed, The Promise Of God Is Truth" – 4 April 2017^[7]
"And When The Believers Saw The Companies" – 12 June 2017^[8]
"So From Their Guidance Take An Example" – 22 April 2018^[9]
"The Mujāhidīn’s Assault on the Tower of the Polytheists" – 26 September 2018^[10]
"He Was True To God, So [God] Was True To Him" – 18 March 2019^[11]

Speculation about identity

In an article published in The Atlantic, journalist Graeme Wood postulates that Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir is Texas-born John Georgelas, also known as Yahya Abu Hassan, though he later cast doubt on his theory, and al-Bahrumi was eventually killed in October 2017.^[12]

Death

Muhajir and four others were killed on 27 October 2019 by a Central Intelligence Agency airstrike in Ayn al-Bayda,^[13] near Jarablus in northwest Syria, close to the border with Turkey.^[2]^[14] It came less than 24 hours after ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during a U.S. raid in Syria's Idlib Province.^[15] Muhajir was described as a senior ISIS leader and Baghdadi's "right-hand man."^[2]

On 29 October, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on social media that al-Baghdadi's "number one replacement" had been killed by American forces, adding: "Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!"^[16] While Trump did not specify a name, a U.S. official later confirmed that Trump was referring to al-Muhajir.^[17] On 31 October, ISIS confirmed al-Muhajir and al-Baghdadi's deaths.^[18]