Who Is Boko Haram’s Leader?

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram is reported to have kidnapped more than 200 girls in Nigeria last month, but little is known about the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau.

In a series of videos posted online, Shekau admits to kidnapping the girls and says he will sell them. “Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell.”

Boko Haram has received worldwide attention for the mass kidnapping, with many celebrities and public figures tweeting the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag in support of efforts to find the girls.

The anti-Western group has been active since 2009, and is also suspected of killing hundreds in an attack on a Nigerian village earlier this week.