Mohammed Akkari (Jihadi Militant, Tunisia)

• Full name: Mohammed Akkari
• Pseudonym: “Lafayette”, “Mehdi”
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: Tunisia, fmr Iraq
• Affiliation: Partians of Shari’a in Tunisia [AST]

Mohammed Akkari (°1975) is a trader and Islamist militant from Tunisia. In 2004, he traveled to Iraq where he joined the jihadi forces.¹ In 2005, Akkari was injured in combat and apprehended by American troops. He was subsequently held at the prison facility of Abu Ghra’ib.² The Iraqi authorities extradited him to Tunisia in 2010.³ Upon arrival in his home country, Akkari was taken into custody and subsequently sentenced to five years imprisonment for having joined a terrorist organization.⁴

In January 2011, Akkari was freed in a general amnesty for prisoners following the Tunisian Revolution.⁵ After his release, he linked up with Seifallah Ben Hassine and joined the Partisans of Shari’a in Tunisia [AST; Ansar Achariaâ].⁶ Ben Hassine later tasked Akkari with heading the AST’s security branch.⁷ He was also involved in collecting intelligence on opponents in preparation for assassination bids, including the successful hits on left-wing politicians Chokri Belaïd and Mohammed Brahmi.⁸

Akkari was arrested as Tunisian security forces clamped down on the AST in the summer of 2013.⁹ While in custody, he informed the authorities on the organization’s members and activities.¹⁰ In response, Islamist prisoners threatened to kill him.¹¹