A Jordanian petty thief who became al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, al-Zarqawi was responsible for numerous atrocities, including the murder of several Western hostages, and came to world notoriety when he filmed himself beheading several hostages and posted the film on the internet. In the 90's he was jailed for five years for attempting to overthrow the Jordanian monarch. Fleeing to Pakistan he rejoined al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Instrumental in orchestrating a mass of suicide bombings, and the murder of soldiers, police officers, Shi'a militias and Iraqi citizens across Iraq, he opposed the presence of US and Western military forces in the Islamic world, and opposed the existence of Israel. In September 2005 he declared "all-out war" on Iraq's Shi'a Muslims, but nine months later, June 2006, he was killed in an American airstrike in Iraq.    TVPG V  cc