MILAN MAGISTRATE TO PUSHES FOR TRIAL FOR TERRORISM

C O N F I D E N T I A L MILAN 000548 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/WE:YOUNG AND FETCHKO; EUR/PGI: REASOR; S/CT:KUSHNER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2030 TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC IT ANTITERRORISM FORCE PROTECTION SUBJECT: MILAN MAGISTRATE TO PUSHES FOR TRIAL FOR TERRORISM SUSPECTS REF: MAY 18 ROME DAILY REPORT Classified By: Classified by CG Deborah Graze for reasons 1.5 (B) and ( D). ¶1. (SBU) On December 1 Milan Magistrate Elio Ramondini submitted his request to bring Majid Zergout, former Imam of the Omar El Farouk mosque in Varese, and his close advisors Majid Zergout Mohamed Raouiane and Abellialah El Kaflaoui to trial on terrorism charges. Ramondini reported to Econoff that the three had been detained in Turin in May (ref). Information was passed from Turin to Milan in October. Following Ramondini,s recent request, the case will now go to a preliminary hearing, likely to take place at the end of January, where a judge will decide if there is sufficient evidence to continue the case. Provided the judge rules in Ramondini,s favor, the trial is unlikely to start before May. ¶2. (C) The three are accused of having provided funds and finding &new recruits8 to support radical groups in Morocco believed to have ties with GICM. According to Ramondini, the centerpiece of the prosecution rests on testimony of other suspects, currently in custody in Morocco and France, which have decided to collaborate with police. Ramondini,s next task is to convince officials in Morocco and France to allow the collaborators to travel to Italy to testify in the trial. He is not optimistic, but is planning to spend the first half of January trying to plead his case in Rabat and Paris. Without their testimony, Ramondini is concerned that the judge may find insufficient evidence to secure a conviction. GRAZE