Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri (/ɑːbɪd ælrɑːˈhiːm ælnɑːˈʃiːriː/ (listen); Arabic: عبد الرحيم النشيري‎; born January 5, 1965) is a Saudi Arabian citizen alleged to be the mastermind of the bombing of USS Cole and other maritime terrorist attacks.[4] He is alleged to have headed al-Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf states prior to his capture in November 2002 by the CIA's Special Activities Division.[5][6]