Abdul Hakim Murad (militant)

Abdul Hakim Murad, also known as Wali Khan, is a convicted terrorist and bomb-maker associated with Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian militant Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda. He is believed to be a key figure in JI's operations during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Murad's involvement primarily centered on the planning and execution of bombings, most notably the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the Bojinka plot. The Bojinka plot, uncovered in January 1995, was a large-scale terrorist plan that included bombing eleven airplanes traveling from Asia to the United States, assassinating Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Philippines, and crashing a plane into the CIA headquarters. Murad helped to develop the explosives and plan the logistics for the operation.

Following the exposure of the Bojinka plot, Murad was arrested in the Philippines in January 1995. He cooperated with authorities, providing significant information about JI's structure, funding, and planned operations. This cooperation was instrumental in disrupting further attacks and apprehending other key members of the organization.

Murad was convicted in U.S. federal court for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Bojinka plot. He is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence. He remains a significant figure in the history of international terrorism due to the scale and sophistication of the attacks he helped plan and execute. His case also highlights the early connections between Southeast Asian militant groups and al-Qaeda, foreshadowing the global threat that Islamist terrorism would later pose.