Miami, Florida (CNN) -- He was born in Saudi Arabia and spent much of his youth in New York and south Florida. Then he vanished. Investigators now allege that Adnan Shukrijumah has risen to a key position in al Qaeda's leadership. The FBI says that after he left America, Shukrijumah started off as an al Qaeda dishwasher, doing menial tasks at training camps. But he's much more than a dishwasher now, according to investigators. "It's like any other business. He would be equated with being the chief of operations," says Brian LeBlanc, a special agent for the FBI. As the alleged director of al Qaeda's overseas operations, investigators believe he is "extremely dangerous," LeBlanc says.
@highlight
FBI says Adnan Shukrijumah started out as a dishwasher and worked his way up
@highlight
Investigators allege he is the director of al Qaeda's overseas operations
@highlight
FBI agent calls him "extremely dangerous"
@highlight
His mother says he is not a violent person and authorities are using him as a scapegoat
His family says it's how he paid for courses, including computers and chemistry, at a small college in @placeholder.