VISAS VIPER SUBMISSION

UNCLAS MADRID 004649 SIPDIS VISAS VIPER DEPT FOR CA/VO/L/C AND INR/IC/TIPOFF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS KVPR PTER ASEC CMGT PINR PREL BEN ABDELLAH, SAMIR ET AL) SUBJECT: VISAS VIPER SUBMISSION ¶1. POST WISHES TO SUBMIT AND/OR UPDATE THE FOLLOWING NAMES AND INFORMATION TO CLASS IN ACCORDANCE WITH VIPER PROCEDURES: ¶2. NAME: BEN ABDELLAH, SAMIR - GENDER: MALE - DPOB: NOV. 29, 1967, MOROCCO - CLASS: POSITIVE ¶3. ON NOVEMBER 22, 2004 THE SPANISH POLICE ARRESTED SAMIR BEN ABDELLAH AN ALLEGED RADICAL ISLAMIST WHO HAD SERVED AS THE "IMAM" IN A MOSQUE IN MADRID AND WHO HAD BEEN AT LARGE SINCE NOV. 2, 2004 WHEN THE SPANISH NATIONAL COURT JUDGE ISSUED A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST. AFTER FIRST COURT PROCEEDINGS, THE EXAMINING JUDGE ORDERED HIS IMPRISONMENT. HE IS ACCUSED OF MEMBERSHIP IN A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. THE INDICTMENT STATES THAT IN 2003 HE PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE MEETINGS OF THE RADICAL SALAFIST GROUP LED BY EXTREMIST MUSTAFA MAIMOUNI, LINKED TO THE CASABLANCA TERRORIST EVENTS, AND CURRENTLY ARRESTED IN MOROCCO. ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT "IT IS SUFFICIENTLY ACCREDITED THAT IN 2002 MUSTAFA MAYMOUNI, FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS OF ABDELATIF MOURATIK, ALIAS "MALEK EL ANDALUSI" AN AL QAEDA OPERATIVE MEMBER AND MILITANT OF THE LIBYAN ISLAMIC COMBATANT GROUP AND ALSO THE MOROCCAN ISLAMIC COMBATANT GROUP, CREATED TWO RADICAL GROUPS WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF RECRUITING MUJAHIDINES FOR THE PRACTICE OF THE JIHAD IN MOROCCO, SPAIN AND SOME OTHER COUNTRIES". ¶4. MAIMOUNI WAS RECRUITED BY AMER EL AZIZI, AN ALLEGED AL QAEDA LEADER FOR EUROPE AND ONE OF THE CONSPIRATORS FOR THE MADRID MARCH 11TH ATTACKS. AT THAT TIME, BOTH WERE MEMBERS OF THE ISLAMIC ESTREMIST LINE "TABLIGH AL DAWA" (ISLAMIC MISSIONARIES FOR THE STRICT OBSERVANCE OF ISLAM). AFTER THE SEPT 11TH ATTACKS AND MAIMOUNI'S FRUSTRATED ATTEMPTS TO TRAVEL TO AFGHANISTAN, HE FOUNDED TWO TERRORIST CELLS, ONE IN MADRID AND ANOTHER IN KENITRA, MOROCCO. ACCORDING TO THE INVESTIGATION, THE MEMBERS OF THE MADRID CELL USED TO MEET FOR LONG HOURS TO WATCH VIDEO-TAPES CONTAINING SERMONS AND CALLING FOR "THE JIHAD" AND DEFENDING THE SALAFIST POSTULATES OF THE RADICAL ARMS "TAKFIR WAL HIJRA" AND "SALAFIA JIHADIA". ¶5. OTHERS ASSOCIATED TO THE SPANISH CELL ARE: DRISS CHEBLI; ABDERRAZAK AZZI, ALIAS: "ABDERRAZAK EL DE MARRAKECH"; MOHAMED LARBI BEN SELLAM, (WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN) RELATED TO SAYED AHMED RABEI OSMAN ALIAS "THE EGYPTIAN"; SARHAM BEN ABDELMAJID FAKHET, ALIAS: "EL TUNECINO" WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE IN AN APARTMENT IN MADRID; MOHAMED EL OUAZZANI; ABDELKRIM EL OUAZZANI; NOUREDDINE BELLID; AZZEDINE BELLID; SAID BERRAJ ALIAS: "EL MENSAJERO" WANTED FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE MADRID MARCH 11TH ATTACKS AND MEMBERSHIP IN THE SPANISH AL QAEDA CELL; DRISS DIBA; MOHAMED AFALAH, INDICTED IN THE MARCH 11TH ATTACKS, (WHREABOUTS UNKNOWN); SAID REHOU; FAISSAL ALLOUCH, ALSO INDICTED IN THE MARCH 11TH ATTACKS, PRESENTLY IMPRISONED. ALL CLASS POSITIVE EXCEPT DRISS DIBA AND SAID REHOU, DPOB: UNKNOWN. MANZANARES