Database: Identifiers of Designated Islamic Terrorist Organizations

Abdullah Azzam Brigades

Designated as terrorist by: United Kingdom, United States

Base of operations: Lebanon

Background: U.S. Department of State
Background: BBC News

A Sunni jihadist group that began operations in 2009, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades has links to al-Qaeda and is based primarily in Lebanon and the Arabian Peninsula. Named after Osama bin Laden's mentor, it reportedly has branches in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Territories, and senior members have been featured on the U.S. State Department's list of designated terrorists. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades portrays itself as a defender of Sunni Muslims and criticizes Shi'a prominence in Lebanon. It has called for an uprising in that country, the overthrow of the Saudi government, and attacks against Westerners, suggesting that tourists visiting the Arabian Peninsula be kidnapped. The organization is believed to be responsible for rockets launched into Israel from southern Lebanon and a suicide attack on a Japanese oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in 2010.

Abdullah Azzam Brigades Emblem	Abdullah Azzam Brigades in Syria	Abdullah Azzam Brigades: Awza'i Media