Khalid Masa’ed (Jihadi Militant, Egypt)

• Full name: Khalid Masa’ed Salem
• Pseudonym: N/a
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: Sinai
• Affiliation: Assembly of Monotheism and Jihad in the Sinai [JTJS]

Khalid Masa’ed was a jihadi from the Sawarka Bedouin tribe. He was immersed in Salafist extremism when studying at the University of Zagazig in the late 1990s.¹ After graduating in 1999, Masa’ed returned to Arish where he began working as a dentist.² Masa’ed became active in local religious life. He preached at a local mosque and gave lessons in Islamic theology.³ Masa’ed’s message of Islamist defiance against external enemies like America and Israel resonated and he attracted a small but loyal following.⁴

Masa’ed founded the Assembly of Monotheism and Jihad in the Sinai [JTJS; Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad fi-Sina’a] in 2000. He and his associates originally wanted to assist jihadis in Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel.⁵ They gradually shifted their focus on the Americans and Jews visiting the nearby tourist resorts on the Sinai peninsula. Masa’ed wanted to emulate al-Qa’ida’s campaign of attacks and began preparing his men for action.⁶ In 2002, JTJS members began training at makeshift camps near Mount Hallal.⁷ By late 2003, the group had about 100 cadres ready to wage jihad.⁸

In 2004, Masa’ed oversaw preparations for the Oct. 07, 2004 bombings in Taba and Nuweiba in which dozens of people were killed.⁹ Following the subsequent crackdowns on the JTJS by Egyptian security forces, he took refuge on Mount Hallal. No information is available on his activities thereafter. Security forces eliminated him during an operation on Sep. 28, 2005.¹⁰

Masa’ed was inspired by al-Qa’ida and named his outfit after its Iraqi branch, but he and his followers are not believed to have had any formal relationship with Osama Bin Laden’s movement.¹¹