The Libyan branch of Ansar Al-Sharia was established following the death of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, which resulted in the release of some 20,000 prisoners some of who would eventually join the group.[2] Over the next year, it affirmed its Islamic fundamentalist and anti-Western ideology, going so far as to attack the American embassy in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.[3] Immediately following this, the residents of Benghazi ousted the group from the city. In early 2013, however, Ansar Al-Sharia returned to Benghazi, providing security and humanitarian services presumably so as to enter the residents’ good graces before resuming its violent activities.[4]

Ansar-Al Sharia operates primarily as a coalition of jihadist groups, with Sheikh Muhammad al-Zahawi serving as its primary leader alongside other senior leaders such as Ahmed Abu Khattalah.[5] Although the group’s loyalties to al-Qa’ida are ambiguous, it is believed to have received some material and financial support from al-Qa’ida.[6] As of January 2014, Ansar Al-Sharia is considered a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, though the United States has yet to take any formal counterterrorism actions against the group.[7] View full narrative