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July 8, 2006

Germany: "Al Qaeda Islamist" Arrested - 9/11 Links

News from Associated Press via Asharq Alawsat states that today, a German national of Moroccan descent was arrested in Hamburg, suspected of being a member of Al Qaeda, with links to an individual who was close to the attackers of 9/11 - the "Hamburg Cell."

The 36 year old man has only been identified as Redouane E. H., who was a resident of Kiel, a city in the north of Germany. Frake Scheuten, spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, said that several residences in Kiel had been searched.

Redouane E. H. is thought to have had links to Said Bahaji (pictured), who in turn was linked to the "Hamburg Cell" members - Mohammed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and ZIad Jarrah. Said Bahaji is thought to now be in Pakistan. He had fled Germany eight days before the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Scheuten said there is no evidence of a direct link between Redouane E. H. and the 9/11 hijackers, or their scheme to attack America.

Ziad Jarrah was one of the hijackers the United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania farmland. Mohammed Atta al-Sayed flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center, the first of the two planes to crash into the twin towers. Marwan Yousef al-Shehhi flew American Airlines flight 175 into the second of the twin towers.

Scheuten stated: "The accused had numerous contacts with the international network of violent jihadis, among other places in Syria, Algeria and Iraq."

"At the end of November 2005, he completed explosives training at a camp operated by a terrorist network in Algeria. He is seriously suspected of supporting the al-Qaeda foreign terrorist network through recruiting fighters for suicide attacks in Iraq and through financial payments."

The evidence against Redouane E. H. stems mainly from surveillance of his online conversations. The prosecutor's office spokeswoman said that he had a "function as an intermediary for messages between the separately pursued Said Bahaji, and his wife."

"He knows that he, in order to keep his location secret, could only continue contact with his wife through an intermediary who was trained in conspiratorial techniques. Only a person from al-Qaeda's logistical network could be entrusted with such a confidential task."

Said Bahaji, a German of Moroccan descent, still has a wife and daughter living in Hamburg, and previously, German authorities have claimed that they have intercepted emails sent by him. Germany has taken out an international arrest warrant for him.

Scheuten did not say for how long Redouane E. H. had been under observation, but stated that the reasons for his arrest stemmed from evidence that suggested he was about to leave Germany.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 8, 2006 1:47 PM

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