Abu Sulaiman al-Makki

Abu Sulaiman al-Makki (1966-), also known as Khaled al-Harbi, is a Saudi cleric affiliated with al-Qaeda, of uncertain importance, who surrendered to Saudi security in 2004. While the Saudis called him a "big fish", American intelligence suggested he was not a key operative. He was an early disciple of Abdullah Azzam in the 1980s.

He surrendered to the Saudis under a one-month amnesty, although he was associated with the specific acts for which amnesty had been offered: acts within Saudi Arabia. A U.S. source called him "sympathizer" and "spiritual adviser," but that he is "not particularly significant."

Prince Turki al-Faisal, former director of Saudi intelligence, called him "the standby cleric of bin Laden to whom bin Laden turned for advice and religious fatwas when he needed them...He could not walk and that probably prevented him from any actual terrorist attacks, although being with bin Laden and being in the cult of bin Laden, he probably participated in providing religious fatwas that condoned the crimes that bin Laden committed." He lost the use of his legs as a result of combat injuries in Bosnia.

Bosnia

Richard Clarke said he was one of the early al-Qaeda representatives in Bosnia. Others in his unit were Abu Abdel Aziz (“Barbaros”) and Abu Asim al-Makki (Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal). The latter was later associated with the USS Cole bombing in 2000.

With bin Laden

Clarke referred to him speaking at bin Laden's side after 9-11; CNN quoted the tape as saying "Hundreds of people used to doubt you and few only would follow you until this huge event happened...Now hundreds of people are coming out to join you."