MALI NABS TWO KIDNAPPING SUSPECTS BUT MISSES

S E C R E T BAMAKO 000182 NOFORN RABAT FOR LEGATT E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2019 TAGS: PTER PINS PINR PREL ML SUBJECT: MALI NABS TWO KIDNAPPING SUSPECTS BUT MISSES ANOTHER REF: BAMAKO 00171 Classified By: Political Officer Aaron Sampson, Embassy Bamako, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 1.(S/NF) Summary: On March 20 Kidal Chamber of Commerce president Abdousalam ag Assalat provided additional details of Mali's March 18 arrest of two individuals allegedly linked to the January 22 kidnapping of four European tourists. Ag Assalat confirmed that the arrest operation was facilitated by Merzouk ag Acherif, a renowned trafficker and Taghat Melet Tuareg leader who appears to be on a private mission to round up kidnapping suspects and AQIM facilitators. Ag Assalat complained that despite being led directly to the door of one of the alleged kidnappers, Mahama ag Assarid, the Malians botched the operation, thereby enabling ag Assarid to escape. The Malians did, however, capture another individual, Sidamar ag Ilaste, who may be of perhaps more interest than ag Assarid. Ag Assalat hinted that more arrests were in the works. End Summary. -------------- Arrests in Gao -------------- 2.(S/NF) On March 20 Abdousalam ag Assalat told the Embassy that Merzouk ag Acherif guided Malian security services to the house of Mahama ag Assarid about 40 KM east of Gao. Ag Assarid is one of the individuals reportedly implicated in the kidnapping of four European tourists. Ag Assalat faulted Malian authorities for failing to capture ag Assarid, stating that Merzouk had arranged for ag Assarid to exit his residence in order to be captured, but that Malian forces botched the operation and lost ag Assarid in the ensuing confusion. However, the Malians did manage to apprehend two other individuals who were inside ag Assarid's residence: Sidamar ag Ilaste and Ibrahim ag Moussa. 3.(S/NF) Ag Assalat had previously told us that he believed ag Moussa was a false name and that ag Assarid was the individual actually captured (Ref. A). On March 20 an evidently disappointed ag Assalat said that, in fact, ag Moussa was a real individual and that ag Assarid had gotten away. Ag Assalat appeared to take considerable solace, however, in the arrest of Sidamar whom he described as a bigger fish than ag Assarid. 4.(C) A Chamanamas Tuareg, Sidamar ag Ilaste is reportedly involved in various smuggling and trafficking operations in northern Mali. He was described to the Embassy as one of the potential masterminds working behind more amateur traffickers like ag Assarid. Ag Ilaste suffered a broken leg while fighting in northern Mali's 1991-1996 rebellion and now walks with a limp. He apparently has various nicknames, including "Kassa", "the one with the limp", and perhaps also "one who talks a lot." 5.(U) French press reported the arrests of two kidnapping suspects on March 20. The report included a statement from an unidentified source saying that two and perhaps four suspects had been arrested. -------------- More Arrests to Come? -------------- 6.(S/NF) Ag Assalat said Merzouk's next target was Asultan ould Badi, a half Arab half Tuareg trafficker and AQIM facilitator who has been linked to the kidnapping of the two Canadian diplomats. Ag Assalat said that after the operation against ag Assarid, Merzouk left Gao for the northern Malian town of In-Khalil, on the border with Algeria, to help Malian security services track ould Badi. Ag Assalat predicted that ould Badi's capture could occur within days. 7.(S/NF) Ag Assalat said Merzouk could also capture Alassane ould Mohamed (aka "Cheibani"),who is the primary suspect in the December 2000 murder of a DAO civilian employee in Niamey, Niger, if so requested. Ag Assalat and others have linked Cheibani to ould Badi and the disappearance of the two Canadian diplomats. Ag Assalat said he believed Cheibani was in In-Khalil with ould Badi and that it would be relatively easy for Merzouk to collar him. Ag Assalat expressed concern about the Malians' ability or willingness to keep individuals like Sidamar, ould Badi, or Cheibani in prison and said that eventually everyone the Malians capture is either released or "escapes". MILOVANOVIC