Omar Refae: An indomitable Mujahideen militant and Faqeeh

CAIRO – 17 November 2017: Omar Refae Souror, was one of the militants exposed by terrorist Abdel Rahim Mohamed Abdullah Al-Mismary in his interview with Al-Hayah satellite channel on Thursday.

According to Mismary, Sorour is seen by militants as their Faqeeh (an expert in the Islamic jurisprudence). Sorour also took on the important role of persuading militants, who were willing to join the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS), to remain in the Derna-based Mujahideen group.

In a TV interview, Mismary, 25, confessed that he joined the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna in late 2014. The umbrella organization of the Derna-based Islamist faction opposed the IS and the Libyan army, led by Khalifa Haftar.

He pointed out that he participated in planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that targeted IS militants and Haftar’s troops in Derna, describing his enemies as “infidels”.

Here is the latest information about Refaee:

1. Nicknamed as Sheikh Abdallah Al-Masry, Omar Refae Sorour, is the eldest son of the jihadist Sheikh Refae Sorour.

2. Sorour is possibly between 35 and 40 years old.

3. Sorour issued several fatwas in Libya; describing the heads of state as tyrants, IS as “Khareeji of the era" and al-Qaeda as loyalists.

4. Sorour developed close ties with Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of al-Qaeda and Mukhtar Belmokhtar, leader of al-Qaeda in Africa.

5. Sorour was a key participant in the process of youth recruitment for the terrorist organizations, with the special goal of recruiting individuals to carry out terrorist attacks.

6. At the time of the 2012 presidential hustings, Sorour called for the complete allegiance of the then-candidate Salafist Hazem Salah Abu Ismail.

7. Sorour fled from Egypt to Libya after the Muslim Brotherhood’s overthrow in 2013, after which the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) officially became a terrorist group.