| Sa’ad bin Atef al-Awlaki | |
| Native Name: | سعد بن عاطف العولقي |
| Native Name Lang: | ar |
| Birth Date: | Between 1978 and 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Shabwah Governorate, Yemen |
| Organization: | Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula |
Sa'ad bin Atef al-Awlaki also known by the alias Abu Al-Laith, is a Yemeni militant and the current emir of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, succeeding Khalid Batarfi.
Al-Awlaki was born in Al-Shu'bah in Wadi Yasbam in the Al-Saeed District in Shabwa Governorate from the al-Awlaki tribe in either 1978, 1981, or 1983.[1]
Before his leadership of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he was a member of AQAP's shura council.[2]
After the death of Khalid Batarfi,[3] al-Awlaki was appointed as the new leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula through AQAP's media group, Al-Malahem Media, on March 11, 2024, which involved a statement reading by Abu Khubaib al-Sudani.[4] Before al-Awlaki officially led the group, throughout 2019 till the death of Batarfi, he and al-Awlaki both led conflicting sectors of AQAP.[5] According to the United Nations, this conflict was due to Batarfi's disliking for Southern Yemeni tribes and al-Awlaki's support for them.[6]
The United States program, Rewards for Justice, put a USD$6 million bounty on al-Awlaki.[7]