AMBASSADOR SEEKS AUTHORIZATION FROM MALIAN

S E C R E T BAMAKO 000821 SIPDIS RABAT FOR LEGATT DAVE ARCHEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2019 TAGS: ML PTER SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR SEEKS AUTHORIZATION FROM MALIAN PRESIDENT FOR THE FBI TO INTERVIEW DETAINED AQIM MEMBERS REF: FBI WASHDC CABLE //1314/01915/261/0062// 181829Z SEP 09 Classified By: Classified By: Ambassador Gillian A. Milovanovic, for re asons 1.4 (b) (d). ¶1. (S) The Ambassador met with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure (ATT) on December 15 to request that the Government of Mali allow Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents to interview Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) detainees in Mali. ATT agreed to the interviews but requested that the Malian Government be given 15 days to a month while it seeks to liberate the French hostage. ¶2. (S) The Ambassador said that In order for the FBI to obtain a criminal indictment against AQIM leaders, it must provide specific information to a United States court, such as evidence of a possible U.S. nexus to terrorism, evidence of AQIM involvement in attacks against U.S. citizens in 2006 and 2009, and information regarding AQIM's ongoing efforts to target U.S. citizens or interests. She noted the importance of following established legal processes to prosecute cases against terrorists. She said that, if the President is amenable, the FBI intended to send a special agent or agents to Mali to interview AQIM detainees, including Mohamed Ould Ahmed, Youssouf Ben Bark, Aly Karfo, Mohamed Aly, and Walid Ould 'Abdallahi. She noted that the FBI is prepared to offer technical and forensic assistance to the Government of Mali as it pursues its own criminal investigation, should the GOM be interested in such assistance. ¶3. (S) ATT said he was in complete agreement with what the United States is trying to do. He said the Malian Ministry of Justice is preparing a criminal case against one AQIM intermediary and the authorities are looking for three more intermediaries. He said progress has come to a standstill since the kidnapping of French hostage Pierre Camatte, however. He repeated that he has no problem with the U.S. approach, but asked that the United States give him 15 days to one month so that the French hostage can be liberated, after which time the four detainees could be interviewed. He suggested that when the time is right, they could be interviewed discretely at night, individually, to minimize attention. ¶4. (S) He stated that the Malian Government is looking at dedicating two judges to handle terrorism cases. He noted that the Malian Government is seeking to build a strong case against one person recently apprehended and is aided by the fact that AQIM has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping publicly. He said he knows there are two to three Tuaregs involved in the kidnapping whom the authorities are looking to detain. ¶5. (S) Separately, RAO will pass the names of the four AQIM detainees to Malian DGSE Mamy Coulibaly with a follow-up request that FBI special agents be permitted to interview them when the go-ahead on timing is received from the Presidency. MILOVANOVIC