The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Brigades have not claimed a terrorist attack since the October 2004 kidnapping; however, there have been no reports of arrests or detentions of any group members.  It is likely that members of the group remain active in the Iraqi insurgency.

al-Qaeda -- Umbrella Organization (Suspected)

<a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=SP">Spain</a>, <a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=UK">United Kingdom</a>

The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade has accepted the call for a holy war against western civilization most associated with al-Qaeda. The brigade attacks (or claims to attack) western civilians for their complicity in atrocities committed by western governments against Muslims worldwide. In July 2005, the group published a statement on the web that may have been meant to signal more attacks to European cells.<br /><p>In February 2006, a statement signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades appeared online threatening "bloody war" on Denmark. This was in relation to the controversy over the Muhammad cartoons published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

<a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=LE">Lebanon</a>, <a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=SA">Saudi Arabia</a>

The Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi Battalion is a small Islamic extremist group founded in Saudi Arabia by Abdul-Raouf Saleh.  As their name implies, the group emulates Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, the leader of the <a href= ?id=4416 >al-Qaeda Organization in the Land of Two Rivers </a> who was killed on June 7, 2006, in a U.S.-led attack.  Subsequent statements from Battalion members revealed that they were merely inspired by al-Zarqawi, and not affiliated with al-Qaeda. <P><br /><br />The Battalion has been linked to only one incident, the September 12, 2006, bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria.  Battalion operatives, armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades, drove to the Embassy gate with the objective to break into the compound and kill as many people as possible.  However, Syrian guards, stationed at a post outside the Embassy's gates, successfully prevented the attackers from gaining entry.  Three Battalion members and one Syrian guard were killed in a resulting shootout.  The driver of a second vehicle filled with explosives, which arrived at a different entry point, was shot and forced to abandon the vehicle before any detonation could occur.  <P><br /><br />This attack was never explicitly claimed by any group.  Initial reports implicated <a href= ?id=4503>Jund al-Sham</a>, an al-Qaeda offshoot that has been active in Syria, in the attack.  However, further investigations as well as interviews with suspects uncovered Saleh's involvement, in particular his funneling of money from Saudi Arabia to family members in Lebanon to purchase weapons for the attack.  The weapons were then smuggled from Lebanon into Syria, where Saleh eventually arrived to plan attack operations.  According to statements, the group originally planned to release a video of the attack.   <P><br />