Zulfi Hoxha

Albanian-American Islamic State senior commander

Zulfi Hoxha

Born|  (1992-01-16) January 16, 1992 (age 32)

Margate City, New Jersey, United States

Disappeared| May 9, 2017 (aged 25)
Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq
Status|  (MIA)
Other names| "Abu Hamza al-Amriki"
"Al Ameriki"
Citizenship| American
Education| Atlantic City High School
Known for| Beheading captives and being an American citizen in a commanding position of the Islamic State
Parents|

* Ramadan Hoxha (father)
* Ltefaji Hoxha (mother)

Military career
Allegiance|  Islamic State
Years of service| 2015–?
Battles / wars| Syria

* Syrian civil war

Iraq

* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Battle of Mosul (2016–2017)

Zulfi Hoxha (Arabic: ذو الفي خوجة; born 16 January 1992), also known by the nom de guerre (kunya) Abu Hamza al-Amriki (Arabic: أبو حمزة الأمريكي), or Al Ameriki (Arabic: الأميركي), was[a] an Albanian-American Islamic State (IS) senior commander and recruiter of foreign fighters fighting in Syria and in Iraq.[1]

## Background and education

[edit]

The son of an Albanian-American pizzeria owner, Ramadan Hoxha, in Margate City, New Jersey.[2] Hoxha's parents immigrated to the United States from Albania.[3] He is a 2010 graduate of Atlantic City High School.[3] He was described as shy and closed.[2] Hoxha was described by former co-workers as having used to joke "I Hate You, Americans."[4]

## Islamist career

[edit]

Hoxha left the United States on 6 April 2015 for Turkey and four days later joined an IS training camp in Syria.[1] Usaama Rahim and David Wright, co-conspirators in the 2015 Boston beheading plot who were "part of a wider network that was in communication with Islamic State operatives in Syria," raised the funds and made the arrangements that enabled Hoxha to travel to Turkey, make contact with, and join IS in Syria.[1]

Within six months he was featured in a film where several captured Kurdish soldiers are beheaded; Hoxha is the first to behead one of the captives.[1] It might be the first known case of an American IS member beheading individuals on film, and it is the first case in which the US government confirmed the name and American citizenship of an IS member featured in IS media.[1] He is present in the propaganda film from Mosul named We Will Surely Guide Them To Our Ways published on 9 May 2017, along with other IS foreign fighters, such as the British suicide bomber and former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Jamal Al Harith.[5][6] In the film, he at first states in English:

> Indeed, America today is the one carrying the banner of the cross and waging war against the Muslims. It did not delay in support in its puppets via air, land and sea, Iraq, Sham [Greater Syria], Libya, Afghanistan and elsewhere. And it openly declares that its goal is only to wipe out the Islamic State, may they fail and lose! It supports Rafida [Shi'ite Muslim] Iran and strives to spread the religion of the Rafida in Muslim territories. Their savage airstrikes have killed and wounded thousands of children, women and elderly, and have destroyed cities of Ahl as-Sunnah [Sunni Muslims]. Therefore, oh Muwwahid [Monotheists] in America, does it not pain you to see your brothers with their honor, have been violated and their bodies have been torn into pieces? By the American airstrikes and their destructive weapons! Are you incapable of stabbing a Kafir [non-Muslim] with a knife, throwing him off of a building, or running him over with a car? Liberate yourself from hellfire by killing a Kafir, for Allah's messenger [Muhammad], Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, said "a Kafir and his killer will not be joined together in hellfire..." So show resolve and place your trust in Allah, and he will pave the way for you, by Allah's permission.[5][1][7][8]

He justifies this incitement to carry out attacks with examples of killings against civilians committed by the American-backed coalition and Iraqi forces.[1][7][8][9] As Al Ameriki, he appeared in the same film showcasing IS-made rocket launchers, after Iraqi soldiers and journalists had mistaken them for American weaponry.[10] He then made another statement in English, saying:

> What we have here, the Rafida say that these projectile launchers are weapons which America provided to the Islamic State! This demonstrates the stupidity and foolishness of the Rafida! This weapon is a product of the Islamic State, to Allah belongst all praise. And this weapon, here, is Ghanima [Spoils of war], which was taken from the Rafida's personnel, to whom America gives support and weapons. Allah, the mighty and sublime, has faculated for the soldiers of the Islamic State to produce weapons, with which they can fight the enemies of Allah. Including this anti-tank rocket launcher. It was made and completed from scratch, and to Allah belongst all praise. And this is due to the need for weapons in battle, that can destroy the armor of the Rafida and the Americans. Also, there are several different types, including thermobaric projectile launchers, which can destroy the buildings in which the enemy entrenches himself. As well as other types, whose effects we will leave for the enemies of Allah to discover for themselves.[5]

Hoxha is one of only a "few dozen" Americans to have gone overseas to join Islamist terrorists; others include John Georgelas and Abdullah Ramo Pazara.[11][1] In 2018 Ltefaji Hoxha, his mother, told NBC10 that she spoke with him in 2017 and he was good, but he doesn’t call or talk to her anymore.[3] As of 2024, his fate and whereabouts are unknown, either he disappeared from justice, or was killed in Mosul.

## See also

[edit]

* Lavdrim Muhaxheri
* Ridvan Haqifi
* Jamal Udeen Al-Harith

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ It is unclear if Hoxha is still alive, and if so, what his rank is in ISIL, post-2018.

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Hughes, Meleagrou-Hitchens & Clifford 2018.
2. ^ a b Everett 2018.
3. ^ a b c Greenberg & McCrone 2018a.
4. ^ Greenberg & McCrone 2018b.
5. ^ a b c "We Will Surely Guide Them To Our Ways". archive.org. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
6. ^ "البريطانيون في تنظيم "الدولة الاسلامية" بين مقاتل وانتحاري وجلاد". BBC. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
7. ^ a b Connor 2017.
8. ^ a b LeMeire 2017.
9. ^ La Stampa 2017.
10. ^ BBC 2007.
11. ^ McCoy 2018.

## Sources

[edit]

* Connor, Tracy (18 May 2017). "ISIS Video Shows New Weapons, 'American' Urging Attacks in U.S". NBC News. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
* Everett, Rebecca (20 November 2018). "Before joining ISIS in Syria, Jersey Shore man was a shy, 'closed person'". NJ.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
* Greenberg, Ted; McCrone, Brian X. (17 January 2018a). "The ISIS 'Senior Commander' Who Grew Up on the Jersey Shore". NBC 10 WCAU. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
* Greenberg, Ted; McCrone, Brian X. (18 January 2018b). "'I Hate You, Americans': Co-Worker, Friend Recall ISIS 'Senior Commander' From Jersey Shore". NBC 10 WCAU. Retrieved 25 January 2018. ""We used to joke around like, 'We know you can't stand us Americans.' And he would laugh like, haha, 'Yeah, we can't stand you Americans,'" Cacia told NBC10."
* Hughes, Seamus; Meleagrou-Hitchens, Alexander; Clifford, Bennett (13 January 2018). "A New American Leader Rises in ISIS". The Atlantic.
* "IS flaunts its "Made in Islamic State" weapons". BBC. 18 May 2007. ProQuest 1899728198.
* "Italian paper warns IS may be plotting new attacks in Europe". La Stampa. 30 May 2017. ProQuest 1903345723.
* LeMeire, Jason (19 May 2017). "ISIS Inspired By Times Square Crash, Warns of Vehicle Attacks on NYC Tourist Hub". Newsweek. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
* McCoy, Craig (19 January 2018). "From Atlantic City High to ISIS: the path of a homegrown terrorist". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
* "Ramadan Hoxha". Ancient Faces.
* "Shqiptari komandant". JOQ. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.

## Further reading

[edit]

* "Djali i shqiptarit nga Amerika, zbulohet si komandant i ISIS-it" [The son of the Albanian from America is revealed as the commander of ISIS]. Telegrafi (in Albanian). 14 January 2018.
* "Zulfi Hoxha" (PDF). investigativeproject.org. Homeland Security. 29 August 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* MEMRI report on ISIS video featuring Al Ameriki

* v
* t
* e

Islamic State

Names of the Islamic State

Members
(List of leaders)|

| Current|

* Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari
* Abdul Qadir Mumin
* Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi
* Abu Yusaf
* Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi
* Abu Habib al-Libi
* Abu Jandal al-Masri
* Zulfi Hoxha
* Bajro Ikanović
* Faysal Ahmad Ali al-Zahrani
* Fatiha Mejjati
* Ahlam al-Nasr
* Issam Abuanza
* Musa Baluku

|

† Former|

* Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
* Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi
* Abu Ahmad al-Alwani
* Haji Bakr
* Abu Usamah al-Maghrebi
* Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi
* Abu Muhannad al-Suwaydawi
* Abdul Rauf Aliza
* Abu Sayyaf
* Ali Awni al-Harzi
* Tariq al-Harzi
* Abu Khattab al-Tunisi
* Maher Meshaal
* Abu Muslim al-Turkmani
* Abu Saleh
* Mohammed Emwazi
* Abu Nabil al-Anbari
* Abu Ali al-Anbari
* Abu Waheeb
* Ali Aswad al-Jiburi
* Abu Omar al-Shishani
* El-Hassen Ould Khalill Jouleibib
* Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Abu Muhammad al-Furqan
* Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti
* Abu Bilal al-Harbi
* Ahmad Abousamra
* Turki al-Binali
* Tareq Kamleh
* Lavdrim Muhaxheri
* Abu Osama al-Masri
* Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
* Abu Muhammad al-Shimali
* Gulmurod Khalimov
* Abdul Nasser Qardash (captured)
* Abu Yasser al-Issawi
* Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Yusuf al-Hindi
* Abu Omar al-Muhajir (captured)
* Othman al-Nazih
* Jamal Udeen Al-Harith
* Aine Davis (captured)
* Alexanda Kotey (captured)
* El Shafee Elsheikh (captured)
* Denis Cuspert
* Abdelhamid Abaaoud
* Boubaker El Hakim

History|

* Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999–2004)
* Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–2006)
* Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)
* Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)
* Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014)
* Islamic State (2014–present)

Timeline of events|

* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Groups|

| International branches|

* Khorasan Province (Afghanistan and Pakistan)
* Libyan Provinces (Libya)
* Caucasus Province (North Caucasus, Russia)
* Sinai Province (Sinai, Egypt)
* Algeria Province (Algeria)
* Yemen Province (Yemen)
* Abnaa ul-Khilafah (Somalia and Somaliland)
* Bengal Province (Bangladesh)
* Boko Haram (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Mali) (2015–2016)
* West Africa Province (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger)
* Central Africa Province (DR Congo and Uganda)
* Sahil Province (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso)
* Hind Province (India)
* Pakistan Province ((Pakistan)
* Turkey Province (Turkey)
* Mozambique Province (Mozambique)
* Khalid ibn al-Walid Army (Syria) (2016–2018)
* Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (Gaza)
* Abu Sayyaf (Philippines)
* Ansar Khalifa (Philippines) (2014–2021)
* Ansar al-Khilafah Brazil (Brazil) (2016–2018)
* East Indonesia Mujahideen (Indonesia) (2014–2022)

|

Unorganized cells|

* Azerbaijan Province (Azerbaijan)
* Jammu and Kashmir Province (Jammu and Kashmir)
* Kurdistan Province (Kurdistan)
* Haramayn Province (Saudi Arabia and Bahrain)
* Lebanon Province (Lebanon)
* Jund al Khilafah in Tunisia (Tunisia)
* Brussels Islamic State terror cell (Belgium)

Wars|

* War on terror
* Iraq War
* Insurgency (2003–2011)
* Iraqi civil war (2006–2008)
* Insurgency (2011–2013)
* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Insurgency (2017–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Spillover
* Spillover in Lebanon
* Opposition–Islamic State conflict
* Sinai insurgency
* Second Libyan Civil War
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Mozambique
* Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
* Mali War
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Conflict with Taliban
* Moro conflict (1968–2019)
* al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
* Boko Haram insurgency
* Military intervention against IS
* US intervention in Iraq
* US intervention in Syria
* Russian intervention in Syria
* Turkish operation
* Somalia

Battles|

| 2013|

* Akashat
* Hawija
* Raqqa
* Al-Shabah
* Ras al-Ayn
* Tell Abyad
* Latakia
* Menagh
* Sidi Ali Ben Aoun
* Sadad
* Qalamoun
* Aleppo
* Al-Yaarubiyah
* Tell Hamis and Tell Brak
* Anbar

|

2014|

* Fallujah
* N Aleppo
* Markada
* N Iraq (Jun)
* Mosul
* Salahuddin
* Baiji (Jun)
* Tikrit
* N Iraq (Aug)
* Kobanî
* Sinjar (Aug)
* Derna
* Ramadi
* Deir ez-Zor
* Baiji (14–15)
* Sinjar (Dec)
* Zumar
* Amirli

2015|

* Nofaliya
* W Africa
* Egyptian airstrikes in Libya
* Niger raid
* E al-Hasakah
* Tikrit
* Sirte
* Hama & Homs (Mar–Apr)
* Sarrin (Mar–Apr)
* Yarmouk
* Qalamoun
* Palmyra (May)
* W al-Hasakah
* Al-Hasakah city
* Tell Abyad
* Sarrin (Jun–Jul)
* Al-Hasakah
* Kobani
* Palmyra (Jul–Aug)
* Ramadi (15–16)
* Al-Qaryatayn
* Al-Hawl
* Homs (Nov–Dec)
* Sinjar
* E Aleppo (15–16)
* Niveneh Plains
* Tishrin Dam

2016|

* Deir ez-Zor (Jan)
* Fallujah (Feb–May)
* Nangarhar
* Ben Guerdane
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Feb–Mar)
* Al-Shaddadi
* Khanasir
* Al-Qaryatayn (Mar–Apr)
* Palmyra (Mar)
* N Aleppo (Mar–Jun)
* Hīt
* Tipo-Tipo
* Sirte
* Ar-Rutbah
* N Raqqa
* Fallujah (May–Jun)
* Manbij
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Jun)
* Abu Kamal
* al-Rai (Aug)
* N al-Bab (Sep)
* W al-Bab (Sep)
* Dabiq
* W al-Bab (Oct–Nov)
* Al-Bab
* Aleppo
* Palmyra

2017|

* Mosul (16–17)
* Raqqa (16–17)
* Palmyra
* Deir ez-Zor (Jan–Feb)
* E Aleppo (Jan–Apr)
* E Homs
* Hama
* W Nineveh
* Tabqa
* Syrian Desert (Dec 16–Apr 17)
* Syrian Desert (May–Jul)
* Maskanah
* Marawi
* Raqqa
* S Raqqa
* C Syria
* Tal Afar
* Deir ez-Zor (17–19)
* Hawija
* E Syria (Sep–Dec)
* NW Syria (Oct 17–Feb 18)
* Abu Kamal
* W Iraq

2018|

* As-Suwayda (Jun)
* S Syria
* As-Suwayda (Aug–Nov)

2019|

* Hajin
* Baghuz Fawqani
* Barisha raid

2020|

* Chinagodrar
* Danag
* Mocímboa da Praia
* Al Bayda

2021|

* Tessit
* Palma
* Sambisa
* Dangarous

2022|

* Al-Hasakah
* Atme raid
* Andéramboukane
* Talataye

2023|

* Falagountou

Attacks|

| 2014|

* Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting
* Camp Speicher massacre
* Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ramming

|

2015|

* Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege
* Beheading of Copts in Libya
* Corinthia Hotel
* Al Qubbah bombings
* Bardo National Museum
* Sanaa bombings (Mar)
* Jalalabad bombing
* Curtis Culwell Center
* Qatif & Dammam bombings
* 26 June
* Kobanî massacre
* Saint-Quentin-Fallavier
* Kuwait mosque bombing
* Sousse
* Khan Bani Saad bombing
* Suruç bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Aug)
* Sanaa bombing (Sep)
* Ankara bombings
* Saihat shooting
* Metrojet Flight 9268
* Beirut bombings
* Paris (Nov)
* Tunis bombing
* San Bernardino attack
* Qamishli bombings

2016|

* Zliten truck bombing
* Hurghada
* Istanbul bombing (Jan)
* Jakarta
* Ramadi bombing
* Mahasin mosque
* Sayyidah Zaynab (Jan)
* Mosul massacre
* Homs bombings (Feb)
* Sayyidah Zaynab bombings (Feb)
* Baghdad bombings (Feb)
* Istanbul bombing (Mar)
* Brussels bombings
* Aden bombing
* Iskandariya bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Apr)
* Samawa bombing
* Gaziantep bombing (May)
* Baghdad bombings (11 May)
* Real Madrid fan club massacres
* Baghdad gas plant
* Yemen police bombings (15 May)
* Baghdad bombings (17 May)
* Jableh & Tartous bombings (May)
* Yemen bombings (23 May)
* Aktobe shootings
* Pulse nightclub shooting
* Magnanville stabbing
* Mukalla (Jun)
* Movida Bar
* Atatürk Airport
* Dhaka (Jul)
* Karrada bombing
* Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi Mausoleum
* Nice truck
* Würzburg train
* Kabul bombing (Jul)
* Ansbach bombing
* Normandy church
* Qamishli bombings (Jul)
* Charleroi stabbing
* Shchelkovo Highway police station
* Aden bombing (Aug)
* Syria bombings (5 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (9 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (Oct)
* Quetta police college
* Hamam al-Alil massacre
* Khuzdar bombing
* Samarinda bombing
* Hillah bombing (Nov)
* Aden bombings (Dec)
* Botroseya bombing
* Al-Karak
* Berlin truck
* Murders of Sefter Taş and Fethi Şahin
* Baghdad bombings (Dec)

2017|

* Istanbul nightclub shooting
* Baghdad bombings (2 Jan)
* Azaz bombing (Jan)
* Sehwan bombing
* Kabul (Mar)
* Westminster
* St Petersburg Metro bombing
* Egypt church bombings
* Mastung bombing
* Manchester Arena bombing
* Jakarta bombings
* Minya
* Al-Faqma bombing
* London Bridge
* Brighton siege
* Tehran
* Pakistan attacks (Jun)
* Hurghada
* Quetta bombing (Aug)
* Barcelona
* Brussels (Aug)
* Nasiriyah
* Afghanistan (20 Oct)
* New York City truck
* Sinai mosque
* Kabul bombing (28 Dec)
* Saint Menas church

2018|

* Baghdad bombings
* Save The Children Jalalabad
* Kizlyar church shooting
* Kabul bombing (Mar)
* Carcasonne & Trèbes
* Kabul bombing (22 Apr)
* Kabul bombings (30 Apr)
* Tripoli
* Mako Brimob standoff
* Paris knife
* Surabaya bombings
* Liège
* Jalalabad bombing (Jul)
* Mastung & Bannu bombings
* Quetta bombing
* As-Suwayda
* Tajikistan attack
* Kabul (Sep)
* Ahvaz military parade
* Minya bus
* Melbourne stabbing
* Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland

2019|

* Jolo Cathedral bombings
* Sri Lanka Easter bombings
* Sainthamaruthu shootout
* Kabul bombing (17 Aug)

2020|

* Kabul shooting (6 Mar)
* Kabul gurdwara
* Xitaxi
* Afghanistan (May)
* Jalalabad prison
* Jolo bombings
* Kabul University
* Vienna
* Afghanistan (Dec)

2021|

* Machh
* January Baghdad bombings
* Kabul school bombing
* Kabul airport
* Kunduz bombing
* Kandahar bombing
* Kampala bombings
* Kabul hospital

2022|

* Diyala massacre
* Peshawar mosque
* Hadera shooting
* Mazar-i-Sharif mosque bombing
* Mazar-i-Sharif minivan bombings
* Bourasso and Namissiguima
* Kuje prison break
* 5 August Kabul bombing
* August Kabul mosque bombing
* Bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul
* Shah Cheragh
* Kabul hotel

2023|

* Kabul airport bombing
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan bombing
* Al-Sukhnah
* Hama
* Khar bombing
* Arras school stabbing
* Pul-i-Khumri bombing
* Brussels shooting
* Kabul bombing (Nov)
* Paris
* Mindanao State University bombing

2024|

* Kerman bombings
* Istanbul church shooting
* Balochistan bombings
* Sibi bombing
* Mucojo attack
* Karabulak clash
* Kandahar New Kabul Bank bombing
* Tillabéri attack
* Crocus City Hall attack
* 2024 Guzara Attack
* 2024 Bamyan shooting
* 2024 Beirut US embassy shooting
* Rostov-on-Don pre-trial detention center hostage crisis
* 2024 Dagestan attacks
* 2024 attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade
* 2024 Muscat mosque shooting
* 2024 Kabul bus bombing
* Surovikino penal colony hostage crisis
* 2024 Solingen stabbing
* 2024 Qala Bakhtiar bombing
* 2024 Afghanistan bus shooting

Politics and organization|

* Finances
* Ideology
* Medicare
* Military
* Armoured warfare
* Human rights
* Genocide of Christians
* Persecution of Shias
* Genocide of Yazidis
* Genocide of Turkmen
* Persecution of gay and bisexual men
* Killing of captives
* Beheading incidents
* Destruction of cultural heritage
* Occupation of Mosul
* Executions in Mosul

Relations|

* Iran and the Islamic State
* Philippines and the Islamic State
* United Kingdom and the Islamic State
* Trinidad and Tobago and the Islamic State
* Foreign fighters
* Name changes due to the Islamic State
* Portrayal of the Islamic State in American media
* Connection with Saddam Regime and Baath Party

Society|

* Members
* Terrorist cell in Brussels
* Territorial claims
* al-Barakah district
* Collaboration

Media|

* A Second Message to America
* Al-Bayan
* Al-Furat Media Center
* Al-Hayat Media Center
* Al-Naba
* Amaq News Agency
* Dar al-Islam
* Dabiq
* Dawlat al-Islam Qamat
* Huroof
* I'lam foundation
* Istok
* Konstantiniyye
* Rumiyah
* Al-Fatihin
* Salil al-Sawarim

Related topics|

* Defeating ISIS
* ISIS-chan
* Islamism
* Millenarianism
* Sexual violence in the Iraqi insurgency
* Shia–Sunni relations
* Slavery in 21st-century jihadism
* Theocracy

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