The U.S. State Department has classified Sami al-Uraydi, the leader of the militant group "Hurras al-Din," as a global terrorist. The department announced a reward of up to five million dollars for information regarding al-Uraydi's identity or whereabouts. The statement highlighted the United States' ongoing commitment to pursuing members of Al-Qaeda operating in conflict-affected areas in Syria, such as Hurras al-Din, which is responsible for killings, kidnappings, and violence targeting members of religious minorities. As a result of this designation, all of al-Uraydi's direct and indirect properties within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him.
Sami al-Uraydi was born in Jordan in 1973 and obtained a bachelor's degree in Islamic law from the University of Jordan. In 1997, he earned a master's degree in Hadith from the same university and completed his doctorate in that field in 2001. He has written works on the 14th century and has focused much of his studies on Ibn Taymiyyah. He was influenced by the jihadist fatwas issued by Abu Musab al-Suri and his followers, who fought against the Syrian regime from 1970 to 1980.
Al-Uraydi served as a member of Jabhat al-Nusra, where he was the head of the Sharia authority before joining the second team in leadership. While affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra, he was second in command after the former leader and military commander Abu Maria al-Qahtani. Al-Uraydi was elevated above al-Qahtani after Jabhat al-Nusra successfully seized numerous areas in Syria that were under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by 2014, according to Wikipedia.
Al-Uraydi utilized social media to publish his sermons and statements under the Jabhat al-Nusra name and had an account on Twitter, where he frequently tweeted about religion, the legitimacy of jihad, and calls to action. He had insulted ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, stating, "he doesn’t know what comes out of his head," and accused ISIS leaders of being "the murdering leaders." He declared war on the extremist group in December 2014, condemning ISIS as kharijites and denouncing the group for being too extreme.
After the formation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, al-Uraydi left the group alongside several senior leaders, a fact later confirmed by Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. He then joined the Shura Council of Hurras al-Din, where he remains active since February 2018. It is noteworthy that Hurras al-Din is an armed group affiliated with Al-Qaeda and fights in Syria.
