Jehad Serwan Mostafa is believed to be the highest-ranking United States citizen fighting with al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based terrorist organization. It is believed that Mostafa joined al-Shabaab in approximately 2006 and has served in many capacities, including serving as a military instructor at al-Shabaab's training camps, a leader of the foreign fighters, a leader and propagandist in al-Shabaab's media wing, an intermediary between al-Shabaab and other terrorist organizations, and as a leader in the group's use of explosives in terrorist attacks. Mostafa is currently charged in a superseding indictment in the United States District Court, Southern District of California, San Diego, California, with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization; and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Mostafa may have visited, or is likely to visit, the following areas: Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African countries. Additionally, Mostafa was raised in and graduated from college in San Diego, California.