| “ | You can bomb us, starve us, occupy our holy places but we will never lose our faith. We carry God in our hearts, our souls! To die is to join him. It may take a century, two centuries, three centuries - but we will exterminate you! | „ |
| ~ Abu Nazir to Carrie |
Abu Nazir is a cunning and dangerous terrorist mastermind and a high-ranking leader in al-Qaeda. Nazir serves as the main antagonist of the award winning Showtime thriller series Homeland.
History
Season 1
After Sergeant Nicholas Brody, who has been a captive of al-Qaeda for eight years, can be freed by US soldiers, the CIA agent Carrie Mathison believes him to be a sleeper sent by al-Qaeda leader Abu Nazir. Over the season, Nicholas' backstory reveals that this is in fact true. Brody, who had been captured together with his partner Tom Walker, had been tortured at first but Nazir then seemingly freed him from this torture. Nazir behaved friendly towards Brody and introduced him to his young son Issa. He asked Brody to teach Issa English and Brody did so, eventually coming to think of Issa as his own son. Over the course of his 'captivity' Brody also converted to Islam.
When Nazir's son was killed when his school was bombed in a strike ordered by the US Vice President, Nazir managed to convince Brody to take revenge. He smuggled Walker, who had also been turned, back into the United States and made it possible for the US marines to free Brody.
It is later reveals that Nazir plans for Brody to kill the Vice President and many of his close associates after they had been ushered into a safe bunker after a seemingly assassination attempt carried out by Walker. After Nicholas fails to use his explosive vest, Nazir sends Walker after him to confront him. Walker confronts Brody under an abandoned bridge and hands him a mobile phone over which Nazir speaks to Brody. After Brody convinces Nazir that he is still his man, Nazir orders him to prove it by killing Walker. Brody does so and executes Walker.
Season 2
At the beginning of the season, Nazir is meeting with Hisbollah members in Beirut. The wife of one of the men, an old asset of Carrie, informs Carrie and the CIA sends a team to kill Nazir. When Nazir really shows up, he is warned just in time by Nicholas Brody who manages to send a text message in secret. Mere seconds before he can be shot, Nazir flees from the scene though the rest of the men are killed by the CIA team.
After shaving his beard, Nazir is able to enter the Unites States unnoticed. There, he meets with Nicholas Brody, who has been kidnapped by Nazir's men and is horrified to see him. Nazir thanks Brody for warning him of the assassination attempt and tells him about his new plan, to blow up a ceremony celebrating the homecoming of US soldiers the Vice President will also attend. He tells Brody that his role will be to make sure that one of Nazir's henchmen, a reporter, will be able to attend the ceremony. Brody however warns the CIA and Nazir's men are killed or captured, his plan foiled. As a way of revenge, Nazir kidnaps Carrie. He later calls Brody and tells him to get a code from the Vice President's office. This code would allow Nazir to deactivate the Vice President's pacemaker. He threatens to kill Carrie should Brody refuse.
While waiting for Brody to get the number, Nazir talks to Carrie. She attempts to convince him that Brody will never get the number but Nazir is optimistic. He also tells Carrie that he does not intend to leave the Unites States alive and is amused when Carrie cannot believe such a thing. The two then discuss about their different beliefs about who is at fault and who is the terrorist.
When Brody gets the code, he calls Nazir. Nazir asks for the code but Nicholas demands that Carrie be released first - fully aware that Nazir would kill her once he had the code. Nazir in turn argues that Nicholas wouldn't text him the code should he release Carrie. Brody swears on the soul of Issa that he will keep his word. After a brief moment of distrust, Nazir agrees and cuts the ropes binding Carrie. Carrie is able to flee from the warehouse. In turn, he receives a number from Brody which he immediately sends to one of his men. The man manages to deactivate the pacemaker and the Vice President dies after a heated confrontation with Brody.
Meanwhile, the escaped Carrie calls her colleagues at the CIA and informs them about Nazir's location. They send their forces in to close on the steel mill. Instead of waiting for them, Carrie returns to the steel mill but neither she nor the arriving agents are able to capture Nazir who has seemingly vanished. After interrogating the reporter, Carrie realises that Nazir has never left the steel mill but must still be hiding in the tunnels somewhere. With a sweep team she heads back down into the tunnels. They find Nazir's hideout in a hidden tunnel and Nazir kills the agent Carrie is with. He grabs the man's machine gun and pursues Carrie who is trying to hide from him inside the mill. He is able to find her and beats her up. Before he can kill her, the arrival of more soldiers forces him to retreat. During his escape Nazir is cornered and shot multiple times when he aims for his gun.
After his death, Nazir's body is thrown into the ocean after an imam performs burial rites. This is done to prevent other terrorists from finding it.
Nazir's true master plan is only revealed after his death. The homecoming ceremony was never his true target. He sacrificed his crew and even himself to lure the CIA into a false sense of security. His true target was always the Vice President and the CIA and during the ceremony for the Vice President's death, a massive bomb (hidden inside Brody's car) explodes, killing almost everyone attending the ceremony (government officials and CIA agents mostly). Only 27 people survive the explosion, leaving over 200, including David Estes and the Vice President's wife and son, dead. Thus, Nazir posthumously achieved his goal.
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