Khaled al-Harbi: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Khaled bin Ouda bin Mohammed al-Harbi, also known as Abu Suleiman al-Makki, (born c.1963) is a Saudi national who was associated with Osama bin Laden's mujahadeen group in the 1980s, and is thought to have rejoined bin Laden and al-Qaida in the mid-1990s. He has a thick beard and requires the use of a wheelchair.

Al-Harbi may have fought in Bosnia and Chechnya, losing the use of his legs at some point. Some reports claim that he was married to the daughter of al Qaeda lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahri. U.S. officials have claimed that although al-Harbi is close to bin Laden, he is not a senior member of al-Qaida or an operational planner.

He is thought to have been the person talking to Osama on the video tape when Osama appears to admit planning the 9/11 attacks[1]. Afterwards, he lived in hiding along the Iranian-Afghani border until he surrendered himself to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran on July 13, 2004. His surrender was part of a one-month amnesty offer by the Saudi government on June 23; however, the amnesty only applied to those who committed attacks inside Saudi Arabia but al-Harbi has not been charged with any such acts.

"There is no doubt that this is a gracious initiative by King Fahd and his crown prince", al-Harbi said on Saudi television. "There is no doubt this is an opportunity which every wise man who has faith in his heart should take advantage of and return to this country."

Ibrahim al-Harbi, thought to be from same tribe but not necessarily a close relation, surrendered himself in Syria the day after Khalid surrendered and issued the above statement.

Sources: Reuters, MSNBC, and CNN.