Mahdi al-Harati
| Mahdi al-Harati | |
|---|---|
| File:Mahdi al-Harati (6152656965).jpg
Mahdi Al-Harati in September 2011, after the Battle of Tripoli
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| Mayor of Tripoli[1] | |
| Assumed office 2014 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1973 (age 50–51) Tripoli, Libya[2] |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  National Transitional Council (2011) Syrian National Council (2012) |
| Service/branch | National Liberation Army |
| Rank | Commander/Colonel |
| Commands | Tripoli Brigade[2] Liwaa al-Umma |
| Battles/wars | Libyan Civil War Syrian Civil War |
Mahdi al-Harati (born c. 1973) is an Irish-Libyan politician and former co-commander of the Tripoli Brigade during the Libyan Civil War.[2] He was also the commander of Liwaa Al-Umma, a militant group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war.[3]
Before the Libyan civil war he was an Arabic teacher in Dublin, where he lived with his Irish-born wife and family.[4]
He was described by Volkskrant, a Dutch daily newspaper, as being a face of the Battle of Tripoli and one of the most important rebel commanders of the Libyan civil war.[5] The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, offered a first-hand account of Al-Mahdi's advance on Tripoli and his men's assault on Gaddafi's former residence, Bab Al-Azizia.[6] He was appointed second in command of the newly formed Tripoli Military Council.
On 6 October 2011, a gang broke into al-Harati's house in Rathkeale, as his wife Eftaima al-Najar was in Tallaght hospital with one of their children. The thieves took an important quantity of expensive jewels from the couple's bedroom, as well as 200,000 euros in €500 notes hidden on a hot press. When asked about the substantial amount of cash, al-Harati declared to Irish officers that the money was given to him by members of an American intelligence agency to help to bring down Muammar Gaddafi.[7][8]
On 11 October 2011, Al-Harati resigned as deputy head of the Tripoli Military Council, amid tensions over security in the capital. According to the Irish Times, while Al-Harati's associates in Tripoli assured that the resignation was for "personal reasons", a senior NTC official quoted by CNN said that the resignation was because of "differences with the National Transitional Council on the planning of the security of Tripoli". Fathi Al-Wersali, a member of the Tripoli Military Council, stated that Al-Harati would continue as commander of the Tripoli brigade.[9]
Following his involvement in the Libyan civil war al-Harati went on a fact-finding mission to Syria where, following discussions with members of the Syrian opposition, he decided to form the militant group Liwaa Al-Umma. After six months leading Liwaa Al-Umma, Al-Harati left the brigade in September 2012[3] and handed over its command to the Free Syrian Army.[10]
In 2014, Al-Harati was elected mayor of Libya's capital city of Tripoli.[11]
References
- ↑ [1]
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- ↑ [2]
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