It is often said and also widely believed that one of the major reasons for a person to fall prey in the hands of practicing terrorism is poverty, illiteracy and the subsequent joblessness. But the data gathered by various institutions and research individuals tell a different story altogether.
We bring you a list of the most qualified terrorists, whose education and job profiles would bust all myths that makes one believe of ‘circumstantial restraints’ for a potential terrorist.
1. Yakub Memon
Yakub Memon, convicted in the 1993 Bombay Bombings completed study as a Chartered Accountant from the reputed The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and had founded his own chartered accountancy firm.
2. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Named as the “the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks”, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed received Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering from the United States.
3. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba and one of the key accused of the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks holds two Master’s degrees from the University of Punjab.
4. Afzal Guru
A Kashmiri separatist convicted for his role in 2001 Indian Parliament Attack, Afzal Guru had completed his first year of MBBS course before completing his graduation from the University Of Delhi.
5. Mohammed Emwazi (Jihadi John)
Mohammed Emwazi, believed to be the person beheading a number of captives in 2014 and 2015 in several videos produced by the Islamic extremist group ISIL went to the University of Westminster, studying Information Systems with Business Management.
6. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab
Popularly referred to as the ‘Underwear Bomber’, Umar Farouk earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from the reputed University College London. He later confessed to and was convicted of attempting to bomb Northwest Airlines Flight 253.
7. Tahawwur Hussain Rana
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and convicted of providing support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, is a physician by profession and had served as a captain general duty practitioner in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps.
8. Osama Bin Laden
The founder of Al-Qaeda and the key accused of the 9/11 Attacks, Osama bin Laden successfully completed a Civil Engineering degree.
9. Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
The Ieader of the Islamic State Group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has received his BA, MA, and PhD in Islamic studies from the Islamic University of Baghdad.
10. Ayman Al-Zawahiri
The current leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman Al-Zawahiri studied medicine at the Cairo University and served three years as a surgeon in the Egyptian Army.
In a research conducted by David Berreby for The New York Times Magazine, it was found that ‘two-thirds of the 25 terrorists involved in the planning and hijacking of the four aircrafts on September 11, 2001 had attended university.
As opposed to what many believe, insurgents are not ‘misguided youth’ but simply terrorists.
