Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

1971 – 2019

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, born Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri, was the founder and first leader of the Islamic State, declaring himself caliph in June 2014 from a pulpit in Mosul. Under his leadership ISIS killed and enslaved tens of thousands of civilians—particularly Yazidis, Shia Muslims, and Christians—across Iraq and Syria, ran an organized international slave market, broadcast videotaped beheadings, and inspired terrorist attacks on multiple continents. He killed himself with a suicide vest during a U.S. Special Operations raid on his hideout in northwestern Syria in October 2019.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM