Sami al-Oraydi

Sami Mahmud Mohammed al-Oraydi or Abu Mahmoud al-Shami (also: al-Uraydi; ; 1973 - 20 June 2026) (alleged) was a Jordanian militant who served as a senior sharia official for the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras al-Din. He was previously the chief religious authority for al-Nusra Front and the group's former second-in-command.

Al-Oraydi was influenced by the teachings of Syrian jihadist Abu Musab al-Suri, who fought against the Syrian government in the 1970s and '80s.

After the formation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, al-Oraydi left the group, along with another senior al-Nusra leader, and was later arrested by HTS with several other pro-al-Qaeda elements from the group, including Abu Humam al-Shami, Abu al-Qassem al-Urduni and Abu Julaybib al-Urduni; the arrests were condemned by ISIL. His resignation was confirmed by Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Al-Oraydi joined the shura council of Hurras al-Din in February 2018.

Reported death Al-Oraydi reportedly died in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike in northern Syria on 20 June 2026.