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April 10, 2007
France: Islamist Rachid Ramda To Stand Trial Again
37-year old Rachid Ramda is a native of Algeria. In 1993, he was sentenced to death in absentia by an Algerian court for a terror attack at Algiers airport, in which 9 people died and 123 were injured.
By this time, he had fled to France, where he continued to act as a terrorist. He was a leader of the Islamist organization the Groupe Islam Armé (GIA). In the summer of 1995, from August to November, GIA caused several deadly attacks upon the Paris Metro. Ramda had been suspected of being directly responsible for at least one of these attacks, which took place at the St Michel Metro station on July 25, 1995. 8 people died and 87 were injured. The explosive device was contained within a glass vessel packed with nails. Victims suffered horrendous lacerations.
Ramda had fled to Britain after the bomb attacks, where he was arrested. For some bizarre reason known only to the terror-appeasing authorities in the UK, Ramda was held in custody in Belmarsh prison for 10 years fighting his extradition to France. A French security official said in 2005: "Can you imagine how the British would react if France caught the alleged moneyman behind the July 7 bombings, and ten years later he was still fighting extradition?"
Ramda was finally extradited to France on December 1, 2005.
He stood trial for his involvement in the St Michel Metro station bombing, and on March 29, 2006 he was found guilty of financing the bombing campaign against three subway stations, killing eight and injuring 200. He was sentenced to ten years' jail.
Today, Expatica/AFP reports that a second trial for Rachid Ramda will be going ahead this year. This trial will be specifically about the St Michel Metro bombing. It will begin on October 1, and is estimated to last one month.
AFP reports that documents found in London combined with phone records hace demonstrated that Rachid Ramda had been a link man, a go-between the Algerian leader of GIA leader Djamel Zitouni and Islamic terrorists in France. On July 16, 1996, Zitouni had been killed by Islamists who had broken away from GIA.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 10, 2007 7:56 PM
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