Mahdi al-Harati

Mahdi al-Harati
Mahdi Al-Harati in September 2011, after the Battle of Tripoli
Mayor of Tripoli[1]
In office
June 2014 – 20 August 2015[2]
Preceded by Sadat Al Badri
Succeeded by Abdul-Rahman Al-Ghillai (acting)
Personal details
Born c. 1973 (age 44–45)
Tripoli, Libya[3]
Military service
Allegiance Libya National Transitional Council (2011)
Syria Syrian National Council (2012)
Service/branch Libya National Liberation Army
Rank Commander/Colonel
Commands Tripoli Brigade[3]
Liwaa al-Umma
Battles/wars Libyan Civil War
Syrian Civil War

Mahdi al-Harati (born c. 1973) is an Irish-Libyan politician and former co-commander of the Tripoli Brigade during the Libyan Civil War.[3] He was also the commander of Liwaa Al-Umma, a militant group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war.[4]

Before the Libyan civil war he was an Arabic teacher in Dublin, where he lived with his Irish-born wife and family.[5]

He was described by Volkskrant, a Dutch daily newspaper, as being a face of the Battle of Tripoli and one of the most important rebel commanders of the Libyan civil war.[6] The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, offered a first-hand account of Al-Mahdi's advance on Tripoli and his men's assault on Gaddafi's former residence, Bab Al-Azizia.[7] He was appointed second in command of the newly formed Tripoli Military Council.

On 11 October 2011, Al-Harati resigned as deputy head of the Tripoli Military Council, amid tensions over security in the capital. According to the Irish Times, while Al-Harati's associates in Tripoli assured that the resignation was for "personal reasons", a senior NTC official quoted by CNN said that the resignation was because of "differences with the National Transitional Council on the planning of the security of Tripoli". Fathi Al-Wersali, a member of the Tripoli Military Council, stated that Al-Harati would continue as commander of the Tripoli brigade.[8]

Following his involvement in the Libyan civil war al-Harati went on a fact-finding mission to Syria where, following discussions with members of the Syrian opposition, he decided to form the militant group Liwaa Al-Umma. After six months leading Liwaa Al-Umma, Al-Harati left the brigade in September 2012[4] and handed over its command to the Free Syrian Army.[9]

In 2014, Al-Harati was elected mayor of Libya's capital city of Tripoli.[10]

On 27 February 2017, Al-Harati was the victim of a sectarian attack in which he was arrested in Malta along with two men who attacked him.[11]

Al Harati was placed on a ban list[12][13][14] by, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other countries for links to supporting Terrorism[15] and AL Nusra front in Syria and for Terrorism related activities with Links to Qatari sponsorship. The ban list ensued the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis which a number of nations cut ties with Qatar for its alleged "financial support of international terrorism".

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ https://www.libyaobserver.ly/news/central-tripoli-mayor-dismissed-over-failure-provide-proper-services
  3. 1 2 3 "Irish Libyans join rebels trying to oust Gadafy". Irish Times. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 "الحارثي آمر "لواء الأمة": 99% من المقاتلين معي سوريون, أخبــــــار". Aawsat.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  5. ↑ "Irish Libyan Mahdi al-Harati leads the overthrow of Colonel Gadafy". Irish Central. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Stieven Ramdharie (2011-08-15). "Wie zijn de Tripoli Brigade precies? - De opstand in Libië - VK". Volkskrant.nl. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
  7. ↑ Post (6 January 2011). "The Sunday Times". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Fitzgerald, Mary (11 October 2011). "Libyan-Irish commander resigns as deputy head of Tripoli military council". Irish Times. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120926112050/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0924/1224324323499.html. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Former Tripoli Mayor Al-Harati arrested in Malta over knife attack". Libyan Express.
  12. ↑ https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2017/06/09/Arab-countries-release-list-of-terrorist-financiers-supported-by-Qatar.html
  13. ↑ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/07/saudi-led-group-blacklists-18-individuals-groups-170725092826117.html
  14. ↑ https://www.khaleejtimes.com/arab-nations-list-59-individuals-12-entities-on-qatar-linked-terror-list-
  15. ↑ Vella, Mathew. "Former Tripoli mayor Al Harati in Saudi list of Qatar-backed terror sponsors". Malta Today. Malta Today. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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