VISAS VIPER FOR AUGUST 2007 REPORTING PERIOD

UNCLAS CASABLANCA 000186 SIPDIS SENSITIVE VISAS VIPER SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/TIPOFF AND CA/VO/L/C E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KVPR CVIS CMGT PINR PTER ASEC MO SUBJECT: VISAS VIPER FOR AUGUST 2007 REPORTING PERIOD ¶1. (U) Members of the Embassy Rabat and Consulate General Casablanca joint Visas Viper Committee met September 4, 2007. The meeting was chaired by the Casablanca Acting Principal Officer and was attended by representatives from CONS, RAO, DAO, POL, ECON, PAS, RSO, and LEGATT. The Committee submits twenty-four (24) names as follows: ¶2. (SBU) The Committee submits the names of the following two (2) Moroccan nationals as Salafi Jihadists who departed Morocco via Mohammed V Airport on 25 August 2007 for Istanbul, Turkey for possible onward travel to Iraq. Boucetta, Ahmed Male, DPOB: 1975; Tangier, Morocco Passport Number: R955848 El Boukhara, Yassin Male, DPOB: 28 March 1985 Passport Number: U184855 ¶3. (SBU) The following have been reported in the local media as being arrested, sought, or sentenced by Moroccan authorities for involvement in terrorist activities and have been submitted through separate channels. (SBU) Five (5) individuals were reported in the local or international media as having been arrested by Moroccan authorities in relation to the 13 August 2007 attempted suicide bombing against a tour bus in Meknes. The first person listed below is the bomber, who lost an arm but survived the attack. Doukkali, Hisham Male, DPOB: 13 August 1977; Morocco Occupation: Civil Engineer, Tax Office, Meknes Ministry of Finance Parents live in Khemisset, Morocco Mohammed, Bouhmada Male Occupation: Engineer, Tax Office, Meknes Ministry of Finance Azougagh, Hassan Male Occupation: Engineer, Tax Office, Meknes Ministry of Finance Hamid, Nilmi Male Occupation: Engineer, Tax Office, Meknes Ministry of Finance Zoubir, Bachir Male Occupation: Engineer, Tax Office, Meknes Ministry of Finance (SBU) Three (3) individuals were reported in the local media as being arrested by Moroccan security services as members of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb who appeared on a video on the internet. Aghbalou, Mohamed Male Belhachmi, Mohamed Reda Male Bilal, Hamam Male (SBU) Two (2) individuals were reported in the local media as being sentenced for terrorist-related activities. Krissi, Mohamed Male, DPOB: 1972(e); Morocco Reported June 8th as being sentenced to two years in jail on charges of terrorist activities (constituting a gang in order to prepare and carry out terrorist acts, part of a collective project to undermine public security, holding unauthorized public meetings and belonging to an unrecognized association). Fouad, Rais Male, DPOB: 1967(e); Morocco Reported June 8th as being sentenced to a USD$600 fine for holding unauthorized public meetings. ¶4. (SBU) The following names were received via two anonymous phone calls to the Consulate received by separate people on different dates (possibly the same caller and/or persons). (SBU) On 20 July 2007 at 16h20, security received a call from a woman stating that the following two (2) people would be applying for a visa with the intent to perform terrorist acts in the United States: Hafid, Idrissi Male, DPOB: unknown Massoud Male, DPOB: unknown (SBU) On 23 July 2007 at approximately 12h00, the Political Officer received a call from a woman thought to be Moroccan stating that the following two (2) people had plans to bomb an airport and were trying to go to the United States: Hafid, El Idrissi Male, DPOB: unknown Rahimi, Younes (spelling uncertain) Male, DPOB: unknown. ¶5. (SBU) The following eight (8) names were previously reported by the media as being convicted in Morocco on terrorist-related charges. Post provides this update as follows: Oussayeh, Khalid Male, DPOB: 10 September 1973; Maaseik, Morocco CIN Number: BZ801958 Bouizakarne, Abdelmalek Male, DPOB: 29 June 1977; Mediouna, Morocco CIN Number: BJ201229 Sentenced for a terrorism offense Ait Bensaid, Mohamed Male, DPOB: 29 August 1976; Casablanca, Morocco CIN Number: BJ205123 Sentenced to 30 years for a terrorism offense Ait Chibani, Mustapha Male, DPOB: 1961; Marrakech, Morocco CIN Number: E105227 Sentenced to 8 years for a terrorism offense Lamghizi, Saleh Male Sentenced to life for terrorism offense El Bachri, Nourredine Male Sentenced to 10 years for terrorism offense Benchrif, Abdelaziz Male Sentenced to 5 years for a terrorism offense Belkacem, Jamal Male Sentenced to 5 years for a terrorism offense ¶6. (SBU) Post is researching two separate media reports, one 02 August 2007 stating that nine (9) suspects from the Oriental region of Morocco were arrested in Oujda near the Algerian border, intending to join a training camp of the Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb; the other 26 July 2007 stating that eleven (11) Islamists accused of being members of the terrorist cell "Ansar Al Mehdi" were given prison sentences in a Sale court. 7.(U) Updates will be sent as details become available. ¶8. (U) The Mission's Visas Viper Coordinator is Pamela Hack. No additional Visas Viper telegrams were transmitted for August 2007. COLE