UPDATE ON THE MURDER OF MOHAMMED JAMAL KHALIFA

S E C R E T ANTANANARIVO 000109

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/E MBEYZEROV
DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF AKORT
DEPT FOR DS/DSS/ITA DROTHSTEIN
PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER D'ELIA
PRETORIA FOR MBONNER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2017
TAGS: ASEC PTER MA
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON THE MURDER OF MOHAMMED JAMAL KHALIFA

REF: ANTANANARIVO 98

Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee; Reasons 1.4 (C,D)


1. (U) Post is providing an update on the Mohammad Jamal
Khalifa murder from a security and political standpoint.
Below is an assessment by the Regional Security Officer (RSO)
and the Political Office.


2. (S) On the security front, RSO continues to engage local
Law Enforcement Officials concerning the investigation.
Authorities have detained three persons of interest for
questioning. There are multiple host government
organizations actively conducting investigations from various
angles, all with the intent to assist the United States
Government. The Gendarmerie have provided identity documents
belonging to KHALIFA and two of his body guards who are
reportedly from Yemen. The body guards, personal information
is as follows:


A. QAID ABDULAJAIL AHMED AL-SHARABI (WOUNDED IN THE ATTACK)
DOB: 02/09/1945
POB: TAIZ YEM, YEMEN
OCCUPATION: MECHANIC
PASSPORT NO: 01798998 (YEMEN)



B. ABDULQADER SAIF MOHAMMED HAMID
DOB: 01/01/1970
POB: TAIZ YEM, YEMEN
OCCUPATION: LABORER
PASSPORT NO: 01138121 (YEMEN)


3. (S) Documents belonging to KHALIFA included the following:


A. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia drivers license

B. Work Permit issued by the Department of Employment
(Saudi Arabia)

C. Non-Immigrant Visa issued by the Malagasy Consulate in
Bangkok, Thailand on or about 01/10/2007. The visa was not
affixed to a passport, but rather a single piece of paper.


4. (S) RSO has forwarded copies of all documentation to other
Embassy agencies and will send same via classified channel to
DS/DSS/ITA for dissemination. Fingerprints were unattainable
due to the condition of the body. RSO will continue to
provide information as it is developed.


5. (U) After learning of the murder from international news
sources, Malagasy journalists rushed to report details of the
crime and Khalifa,s alleged association with terror funding.
Khalifa,s murder made front-page headlines for several
days, with journalists speculating heavily whether the crime
was politically motivated. Domestic and international media
sources published the remarks of Malek Khalifa, Jamal,s
brother, that Malagasy authorities &sold8 his brother to
international intelligence services, although he insisted
Jamal had no link to Osama Bin Laden apart from family ties.
The media also speculated on the potential impact on
Madagascar,s relationship with Saudi Arabia. Several
newspapers lamented this assassination places Madagascar in
the world of terrorism &whether we like it or not,8 and
radio call-ins expressed the fear that Khalifa,s
relationship with Bin Laden will somehow impact the security
situation in Madagascar. The murder also renewed media
coverage of the U.S. Embassy,s Reward for Justice Campaign
for the capture of Fazul Abdullah (aka "Harum Fazul").


6. (U) Following an autopsy, overseen by a diplomat from the
Saudi Embassy in Tanzania and brother Malek Khalifa, Jamal
Khalifa's body was repatriated to Medina, Saudi Arabia on a
private plane chartered by his family. The Government of
Madagascar (GOM) was represented at the airport by the
Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the

SIPDIS
Director General of National Police, both of whom promise the
GOM will accelerate the investigation and noted this crime
appears to have no link to Khalifa's family ties to Bin
Laden. Khalifa's remains were accompanied by the Saudi
Charge from Tanzania and brother Malek.


7. (S) COMMENT: The GOM agencies appear to view this as an
opportunity to gain favor with the U.S. in cooperating on
Counter Terrorism issues. While their eagerness is
commendable, they appear to be competing more than
coordinating and the results to date are dissappointing.

McGEE