He was suspected of leading the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), being part of the central command of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings.

Zulkifli was killed on 25 January 2015 by Philippine Special Action Force (SAF) officers during the raid that culminated in the Mamasapano clash.

According to the FBI, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, approximately 120 pounds, and could speak Malay, Tagalog, English, and Arabic.

Then he was gone.Zulkifli, often going under the nom de guerre "Marwan", was suspected to be in charge of the South Eastern Asian and Indonesian terrorist group called the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM).

[14][15] An anonymous military source told Gulf News that, along with other South Eastern Asian militants, Zulkifli was engaged in the training of local jihadist volunteers to join The Islamic State.

[18] It was reported from news organisations on 26 January 2015, that the Jemaah Islamiyah in co-ordination with Zulkifli had planned to construct a bomb to be detonated as the papal convoy drove down T.M.

[21][22] Federal agents discovered 1,000 rounds of ammunition, scopes to sniper rifles, two-way radios, military training manuals, and materials used to make bombs.

[23][24] He is currently in custody in a California prison, contrary to unverified reports of his residence being in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp,[25] where he submitted his DNA to confirm his brother's demise.

[26] His brother-in-law, Taufik bin Abdul Halim was also arrested for terrorist charges in 2001 for involvement in an attempted mall bombing located in Jakarta, Indonesia.

[27] After 12 years in jail for his attempted bombing, Taufik was released and flown back to Johor to be with his family after being pardoned by President of Indonesia Joko Widodo.

[17][28][29] Zulkifli Abdhir is the cousin of Malaysian terrorist Mohamad Farik Amin (alias Zubair Zaid), who is also suspected as a main culprit in the 2002 Bali bombings.

The operation culminated in a battle in Mamasapano between the PNP and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), breaking the ceasefire.

The MILF was later joined by their breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, in a battle that led to the death of 44 police officers, several civilians, and at least 18 militants.

Reasons for the clashes and renewed hostilities are being attributed to a lack of communication between the PNP, the military, and MILF before undertaking the operation.

MILF chairman Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim also told that Abdul Basit Usman, who was also pursued by SAF troops was able to escape.

"[49] On 4 February 2015, the FBI sent a message to Philippine authorities confirming that the DNA obtained from the killed man during the PNP Special Action Force Operation Exodus was from Zulkifli.

Though absolute identification was not possible in the preliminary stages of testing, the FBI has reported that the DNA samples were very likely to be Zulkifli's due to striking similarities.