VISAS VIPER SUBMISSION

UNCLAS MADRID 000471 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 (BELHADJ, YOUSSEF) SUBJECT: VISAS VIPER SUBMISSION ¶1. POST WISHES TO SUBMIT AND/OR UPDATE THE FOLLOWING NAMES AND INFORMATION IN CLASS IN ACCORDANCE WITH VIPER PROCEDURES: ¶2. RELIABLE PRESS OF FEB. 2, 2005 REPORTED BELGIUM POLICE ARRESTED THE ALLEGED AL QAEDA "SPOKESMAN" YOUSSEF BELHADJ IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM ON FEB. 1, 2005. THE SPANISH NATIONAL COURT JUDGE JUAN DEL OLMO HAD ISSUED AN INTERNATIONAL WARRANT OF ARREST FOR BELHADJ. SPANISH POLICE BELIEVE YOUSSEF BELHADJ, UNDER THE ALIAS OF ABU DUHANA AL AFGANI, WAS THE INDIVIDUAL WHO CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY IN THE NAME OF THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION FOR THE MADRID MARCH 11TH TERRORIST ATTACKS, IN A VIDEO-TAPE RECOVERED BY POLICE SHORTLY AFTER THE EVENTS. YOUSSEF BELHADJ, PERMANENT RESIDENT OF BRUSSELS, WAS PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED IN BELGIUM ON MARCH 19, 2004 FOR TERRORIST ASSOCIATION, ALONG WITH MIMOUNE BELHADJ AND MUSTAFA LOUNANI, ALL ASSOCIATED TO THE MOROCCAN ISLAMIC COMBATANT GROUP. HE WAS LATER RELEASED CONDITIONALLY. YOUSSEF BELHADJ ALSO ALLEGEDLY HELPED AND PROVIDED TEMPORARY SAFE-HOUSING IN BELGIUM TO MOHAMED BELHADJ AND MOHAMED AFALAH, TWO OF THE MADRID'S TERRORIST EVENTS PARTICIPANTS, PRESENTLY AT LARGE. ¶3. NAME: BELHADJ, YOUSSEF - GENDER: MALE - DPOB: MAY 27, 1976, TOUZINE, MOROCCO - CLASS: POSITIVE MANZANARES