caption criminal_charge religion birth_name birth_place alias module image_size nationality birth_date alt residence known_for image article_title name
mokhtar belmokhtar terrorism , use of illegal weapons islam mokhtar belmokhtar ghardaïa , algeria the mr. marlboro , the prince , mbm , al-aouer , one-eyed bal ` ur , laaouar , abu khaled , the uncatchable , yes conviction = conviction_penalty = 2004 -- lifetime imprisonment ; for allegiance forming terrorist groups , robbery , detention , and use = of illegal weapons ; 2007 -- death ; for forming gia terrorist groups , carrying out armed attacks , kidnapping foreigners charge , and importing and trafficking in illegal weapons ; 2008 = -- death ; for murdering 13 customs officers conviction_status = terrorism capture_status = occupation = smuggler , kidnapper , weapons dealer , , terrorist spouse = 4 wives parents = children = murder 200px algerian 01 june 1972 mokhtar belmokhtar , in january 2013 . gao , mali -lrb- suspected -rrb- in , smuggling aménas attack and hostage-taking , terrorism , kidnapping mokhtar belmokhtar.png mokhtar belmokhtar
 mokhtar belmokhtar
mokhtar belmokhtar

mokhtar belmokhtar -lrb- june 1 , 1972 -rrb- , also known as khaled abou el abbas or laaouar , is an algerian terrorist , leader of the group al-murabitoun , former military commander of al-qaeda in the maghreb and kidnapper , smuggler and weapons dealer .
he was twice convicted and sentenced to death `` in absentia '' under separate charges in algerian courts : in 2007 for terrorism and in 2008 for murder ; in 2004 he was sentenced to life imprisonment in algeria for terrorist activities .
born in northern algeria , belmokhtar traveled to afghanistan in 1991 to fight with the `` mujahadeen '' against the pro-soviet government following the withdrawal of soviet union troops .
there he lost his left eye while mishandling explosives .
he later joined the islamist gia fighting in the algerian civil war and following that became a commander in the mali-based islamist al-qaeda in the islamic maghreb -lrb- aqim -rrb- .
in december 2012 , belmokhtar announced he was leaving aqim and headed his own organisation , dubbed the `` al-mulathameen '' -lrb- `` masked '' -rrb- brigade -lrb- also known as the `` al-mua ` qi'oon biddam '' -lrb- `` those who sign with blood '' -rrb- brigade -rrb- .
in january 2013 the brigade took more than 800 people hostage at the tigantourine gas facility in algeria .
39 hostages were executed and one algerian killed before the facility was recaptured by algerian forces , who killed 29 members of the brigade .
the brigade was listed by the us state department as a foreign terrorist organization in december , 2013 .
on 2 march 2013 , the chadian state television and the chadian army reported that belmokhtar had been killed in a raid by chadian troops against a terrorist base in mali , however two months later belmokhtar claimed responsibility for two suicide truck bomb attacks -- on a french-owned uranium mine in arlit , niger , and a military base 150 miles away in agadez .
on 14 june 2015 , libya 's government announced belmokhtar was killed in a u.s. airstrike inside libya .
u.s. officials confirmed the strike and that belmokhtar was a target , but did not immediately confirm that belmokhtar was killed .
