Mahdi al-Harati

Mahdi al-Harati
Mahdi Al-Harati in September 2011, after the Battle of Tripoli
Mayor of Tripoli[1]
Incumbent
Assumed office 2014
Personal details
Born	c. 1973 (age 42–43) 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

2. "Irish Libyans join rebels trying to oust Gadafy". Irish Times. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
3. "الحارثي آمر "لواء الأمة": 99% من المقاتلين معي سوريون, أخبــــــار". Aawsat.com. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
4. "Irish Libyan Mahdi al-Harati leads the overthrow of Colonel Gadafy". Irish Central. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
5. Stieven Ramdharie (2011-08-15). "Wie zijn de Tripoli Brigade precies? - De opstand in Libië - VK". Volkskrant.nl. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
6. Post (6 January 2011). "The Sunday Times". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
7. "Tinker raiders, Soldier, Spy". Sunday World. 09-11-2011. Retrieved 2011-11-11. Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. "Mehdi Harati, "I received € 200,000 from U.S. secret services"". Ennahar. 09-11-2011. Retrieved 2011-11-11. Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. Fitzgerald, Mary (11 October 2011). "Libyan-Irish commander resigns as deputy head of Tripoli military council". Irish Times. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
10. https://web.archive.org/web/20120926112050/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0924/1224324323499.html. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)