VISAS VIPER FOR SEPTEMBER 2007 REPORTING PERIOD

UNCLAS CASABLANCA 000200 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 SEPTEMBER 2007 REPORTING PERIOD REF: CASABLANCA 000186 ¶1. (U) Members of the Embassy Rabat and Consulate General Casablanca joint Visas Viper Committee met October 1st, 2007. The meeting was chaired by the DCM and was attended by representatives from CONS, RAO, DAO, POL, ECON, PAS, RSO. The Committee submits twenty-one (21) new names as follows ¶2. (SBU) The committee submits the name of the following Moroccan national who was arrested 12 September 2007 by Canadian authorities as a Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) operative. He is a resident of Canada. Namouh, Said AKA Ashraf Male DPOB: 21 December 1972; Kenitra, Morocco Passport Number: N426364 ¶3. (SBU) The committee submits the names of the following two (2) persons who were reported in local media as having their sentences upheld by the appellate court of Sal. Both were charged under the anti-terrorism act and were accused of "conspiracy to prepare and carry out terrorist acts aimed to harm the public order," "activities in an unrecognized association," and "holding non-authorized public meetings" for involvement in the 16 May 2003 terrorist attacks that killed 45. Skakri, Brahim Male DOB: 1977 POB: unknown Sentenced to a three-year prison term. Belkhayat, Khalid AKA Abu Hanifa Male DOB: 1986 POB: unknown Sentenced to a two-year prison term. ¶4. (SBU) The committee submits the names of the following seventeen (17) persons who have been reported in local media as being sentenced to between one and ten years in prison, while four other suspects were released. Those in the group, including two Moroccan-born Belgian nationals, were found guilty of committing terrorist acts, and were part of a cell that was dismantled in November with links to foreign terrorist organizations. The court issued a ten-year term against the following three (3) defendants after they were found guilty of "forming a criminal gang to plan and commit terrorist acts as part of a collective plan aimed at seriously harming public order and collecting and procuring money with the purpose of using it for terrorist acts": Reha, Mohamed Male Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin Zemmouri, Mohamed Male Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin Uncle of above-mentioned Reha, Mohamed Azig, Khalid Male The court sentenced two (2) defendants to ten years in prison after being found guilty of charges of "forming a criminal gang to plan and commit terrorist acts as a part of a collective plan aimed at harming public order": Alouan, Hassan Male Benchekroun, Brahim Male former Guantanamo prisoner The court sentenced six (6) defendants to a four-year sentence after being found guilty of charges of "forming a criminal gang to plan and commit terrorist acts as a part of a collective plan aimed at harming public order": Boujemaa, Bouchta Male Benzouhair, Mohamed Male Mahdi Takhtaoui, Omar Male Alioua, Yassine Male Alilouch, Ahmed Male El Jabri, Anouar Male The court sentenced three (3) defendants to a three-year sentence: Zajli, Abderrahim Male Boukir, Ahmed Male Al Otmani, Yasser Male The court sentenced two (2) defendants to a two-year sentence: Mazouz, Mohamed Male former Guantanamo prisoner Benlaakoul, Driss Male The following defendant was sentences to a one-year sentence for being guilty of not informing authorities: Chlieh, Abdelkabir Male ¶5. (SBU) The committee submits the following name, reported in local media as being an Islamist terrorist suspect who will be extradited from Spain to Morocco. He is accused of being involved in a cell that recruits Islamists. Zehraoui, Abdellatif Male ¶6. (SBU) The Committee submits updates on eight (8) names originally reported in reftel. ¶7. (SBU) Per reftel paragraph #3, the following updates information regarding four (4) individuals arrested by Moroccan authorities in relation to the 13 August 2007 attempted suicide bombing against a tour bus in Meknes. Bouhammada, Mohamed AKA (and listed in reftel as): Bouhmada, Mohammed DPOB: 29 June 1973; el-Kbab, Morocco National Identity Card (CIN) number: V115125 Passport Number: G988681 Azouggagh, Hassan AKA (and listed in reftel as): Azougagh, Hassan DPOB: 07 August 1973; Taouririt, Morocco CIN number: AD64121 Milmi, Hamid AKA (and listed in reftel as): Hamid, Nilmi DPOB: 10 April 1977; Rich, Morocco CIN number: UB28231 Passport Number: R861538 Zoubair, Rachid AKA (and listed in reftel as): Zoubir, Bachir DPOB: 13 August 1976; Tinejdad, Morocco CIN number: UA31524 Passport Number: K128228 ¶8. (SBU) Per reftel paragraph #6, the following updates information regarding the media report of four (4) Moroccan citizens arrested by the Moroccan border police (DGST) on 14 July 2007 in connection with a terrorist cell in Oujda near the Algerian border. El-Ani, Aziz AKA: Abou Jaber Male, unmarried DPOB: 1977; Douar Labhahda, Morocco Occupation: tailor Last known residence: Fes Does not possess a passport Attar, Amine AKA: Abou al-Hayjae Male, unmarried DPOB: 27 April 1987; Berrechid, Morocco Occupation: high school student Last known residence: Nador Does not possess a passport Bouhrani, Youssef AKA: Abou Zoubeir Male, married DOB: 01 January 1983 POB: unknown Occupation: carpenter Last known residence: Fes Does not possess a passport El-Boussadi AKA: Abou Saad Male, unmarried DPOB: 20 September 1981; Kariat Ba Mohamed, Morocco Occupation: tailor Last known residence: Taonat Passport Number: R275678 ¶9. (U) Updates will be sent as details become available. ¶10. (U) The Mission's Visas Viper Coordinator is Pamela Hack. No additional Visas Viper telegrams were transmitted for September ¶2007. GREENE