Oussama Atar

*For the holy cause, Oussama blew his family to shreds and killed a bunch of European strangers. He's a pretty wily guy, so he got away with it. It's been a year now. He's probably in the war zone at the shadowy fringes of the drone explosions.

*He's a young guy, so I'm wondering what his daily life will be like if it's been 20 years. Does he have an exit strategy, at all? Has he ever considered a job, kids? Any way of life other than being the self-appointed "emir"?

*Hint: if you're into terrorism, never throw away a laptop in the trash. There has never been a tool that treacherous.

http://www.politico.eu/article/paris-and-brussels-isis-terror-attack-plotter-who-got-away/

Belgian authorities found proof of Atar’s connection to the Brussels attacks on a laptop retrieved from a trashcan near a flat in the Schaerbeek district that had been a makeshift bomb factory, according to a copy of Atar’s Belgian arrest warrant filed in December 2016, and obtained by POLITICO.

Atar, also known as “Abou Ahmed,” is the cousin and alleged mentor of two of the suicide bombers who conducted the March 2016 attacks in Brussels, the El Bakraoui brothers.

Investigators extracted audio files from the computer about preparing explosives, identifying possible targets and means of attack.

“Several recordings were addressed to ‘Abou Ahmed,’ asking for instructions and advice,” the warrant says, specifying that the audio files were in French and the subjects appeared close, using familiar language.

The document says that at the time Abou Ahmed was in Syria and that investigators later identified him as Oussama Atar.

Belgian security and intelligence officials said they believe Atar radicalized several members of his family, including women, from Syria via encrypted channels. Officials say he was revered and often referred to as “emir,” a word indicating a leading role....