[2] Fares bin Ahmad al-Zahrani was born in 1977 in al-Jawfa’ village in Bilad Zahran in the Al-Baha region[3] of Saudi Arabia.
Al-Zahrani's first noteworthy book was al-Baheth ‘Ann Hikm Qatl Afrad wa-Dubat al-Mabaheth (English: For Those Who are Looking for the Rule to Kill Police Officers).
It was released after a series of deadly confrontations with the Saudi police, and came as the product of many online arguments on Jihadi blogs.
al-Zahrani was able to make the links between the Quran, Hadith, and various militant thinkers (namely Sayyid Qutb and Abu Qatada) to justify the act of murder.
al-Zahrani's second book on a similar topic, Tahrid al-Mujahidin al-Abtal Ala Ihya’ Sinat al-Ightiyal (English: Encouraging the Hero Mujahidin to Revive the Sanctioned Practice: Assassination) again provided religious Fatwa for killing others.
Several weeks before the arrest in an interview with the online publication Voice of Jihad, al-Zahrani said: "I would like to reassure the people who love me...I am careful in my movements and contacts, and I take all necessary precautions."