Al-Qaeda and sometimes al-Qa'ida, is a global militant Sunni Islamist group founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989.
Al-Qaeda initially planned to fly hijacked jets into nuclear installations - rather than the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11. According to an Arab journalist who interviewed two of the group's masterminds, they decided against the attack on nuclear power plants because of fears it could "get out of control."
In 2005, al-Qaeda formed As-Sahab, a media production house, to supply its video and audio materials.
It has been estimated that 62% of al-Qaeda members have an university education.
The name comes from the Arabic noun qā'idah, which means foundation or basis, and can also refer to a military base. Bin Laden explained the origin of the term in a videotaped interview with Al Jazeera journalist Tayseer Alouni in October 2001: "The name 'al-Qaeda' was established a long time ago by mere chance. The late Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri established the training camps for our mujahedeen against Russia's terrorism. We used to call the training camp al-Qaeda. The name stayed."
Russell Crowe was once contacted by the FBI about Al Qaeda wanting to kidnap him to take "iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural destabilization plan." For nearly two years, the FBI guarded Crowe in public and refused to give him any details about the threat. Crowe isn't American though. He's originally from New Zealand.
In 2013, Al-Qaeda apologized for accidentally beheading one of their own men.
On January 7, 2015 the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris were attacked by a branch of Al-Qaeda, leaving twelve people dead.
MI6 once hacked an Al-Qaeda website and replaced instructions on how to make a bomb with a cupcake recipe.
Whenever al-Qaeda organised games of volleyball, Mohammed Atef and Osama Bin Laden were forced to be on separate teams since they were both tall, and skilled players.
Al-Qaeda initially planned to fly hijacked jets into nuclear installations - rather than the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11. According to an Arab journalist who interviewed two of the group's masterminds, they decided against the attack on nuclear power plants because of fears it could "get out of control."
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| Ground zero: The remains of the World Trade Center after the attacks. |
In 2005, al-Qaeda formed As-Sahab, a media production house, to supply its video and audio materials.
It has been estimated that 62% of al-Qaeda members have an university education.
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| "Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri 2001" by Hamid Mir - |
The name comes from the Arabic noun qā'idah, which means foundation or basis, and can also refer to a military base. Bin Laden explained the origin of the term in a videotaped interview with Al Jazeera journalist Tayseer Alouni in October 2001: "The name 'al-Qaeda' was established a long time ago by mere chance. The late Abu Ebeida El-Banashiri established the training camps for our mujahedeen against Russia's terrorism. We used to call the training camp al-Qaeda. The name stayed."
Russell Crowe was once contacted by the FBI about Al Qaeda wanting to kidnap him to take "iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural destabilization plan." For nearly two years, the FBI guarded Crowe in public and refused to give him any details about the threat. Crowe isn't American though. He's originally from New Zealand.
In 2013, Al-Qaeda apologized for accidentally beheading one of their own men.
On January 7, 2015 the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris were attacked by a branch of Al-Qaeda, leaving twelve people dead.
MI6 once hacked an Al-Qaeda website and replaced instructions on how to make a bomb with a cupcake recipe.
Whenever al-Qaeda organised games of volleyball, Mohammed Atef and Osama Bin Laden were forced to be on separate teams since they were both tall, and skilled players.
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