Mohammed Haydar Zammar (Arabic: Muḥammad Ḥaydar Zammār) (born 1961 in Aleppo, Syria) is a German-Syrian militant who served as an important al-Qaida recruiter,[1][2] and is currently a member of the Islamic State. He claims to have recruited many of the organizers of the September 11, 2001, attacks. He was detained in Far'Falastin. A video believed to be taken in early 2014 places him listening to a speech by Abu Ali al-Anbari, the number two in the Islamic State, in Aleppo, Syria.[citation needed]
An al-Qaida recruiter
When Zammar returned to Hamburg he became a minor celebrity among the Islamic community. Der Spiegel described him, in 2002, as an imposing figure, who frequently gave enthusiastic speeches on behalf of bin Laden and other Islamists.[3] German police began to formally investigate him at this time, long before al-Qaeda's attacks on 9-11. Zammar made frequent short trips to Afghanistan throughout this period.
Mohamed Atta, a very conservative Muslim, became friends with Zammar around 1998.[4] Zammar has reportedly boasted that he personally recruited Atta and other hijackers into al-Qaida, although this has not been confirmed. Zammar also met frequently with Mounir El Motassadeq around this time.