From al-Qaeda Terrorist To CIA “Freedom Fighter”
BEIRUT (Analysis) –– Interpol may be on the hunt for the former mayor of Libya’s capital of Tripoli – an Irish-Libyan man who has been named as an international terrorist by Saudi Arabia.
Mahdi al-Harati has lived in Malta on-and-off since 2014. In January 2017, he was arrested due to his involvement in a knife attack in Malta that occurred between two Libyans, as all three had gotten into a political argument that grew out of control.
It is odd that al-Harati would seek safe harbor in Malta, which is a
small island in the Mediterranean Sea. However, it is this very sea in
which al-Harati first sailed into the international spotlight due to his
associations with al-Qaeda and other terror groups. His relatively
recent arrest has brought renewed attention to his past, including his
history of recruiting terrorists – with the help of the CIA – for the
purpose of aiding in Western-backed regime change efforts.
Mahdi al-Harati, former commander of the Tripoli Brigade during the
Libyan Civil War, is seen here fighting in Syria as commander of Liwaa
Al-Umma, a designated terrorist group fighting the Syrian government.
