NAJAF, Iraq — Abu Hamza al Muhajir has resigned as al Qaeda’s figurehead in Iraq after problems with claims he made on his resume were uncovered.

Shelbinator.com has learned that, according to warlords in Ruffa, Sudan, Abu Hamza never earned a master of arts degree in explosives and demolitions at their former al Qaeda training camp, as claimed in this year’s Karbala Killaz jihadi media guide. An assistant registrar at the Ruffa camp said that al Muhajir attended the camp for two semesters, but never completed his degree.

“Due to a selfish and thoughtless act many years ago, I have personally embarrassed al Qaeda, its martyrs and fans,” al Muhajir said in a statement released Sunday on a jihadist website.

“We really should have vetted him more thoroughly,” said a senior al Qaeda official on condition of anonymity. “I mean, in retrospect, we didn’t know anything about him we didn’t read online. Come on, the guy’s name, if that is in fact his name,” said the official, referring to questions surrounding his identity, “means `the exile’ in some contexts, for crying out loud. Exiled for what? Who the hell is this guy? I hate to say we should have seen this coming, inshallah.”

The sudden resignation was one of the most embarrassing blows to the storied al Qaeda insurgency, famous for the cell-phone IED, online beheadings, and surviving rape rooms. This returns al Qaeda to a desperate hunt to find a new leader who will rebuild momentum in the insurgency, after having fired its previous head coach, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, for prematurely martyring himself.



Read more filed under (In)security, Oniony