BELGIUM FIVE SUSPECTED TERRORISTS TO BE HELD FOR

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000024 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE PASS EUR/WE AND S/CT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM FIVE SUSPECTED TERRORISTS TO BE HELD FOR 30 DAYS, SIXTH APPEALING REF: BRUSSELS 1870 ¶1. (SBU) A Brussels Court decided January 7 to extend for a period of 30 days the detention period of five of the six suspected terrorists held since December 11, 2008. The sixth, Jean-Cristophe Trefois, a Belgian citizen who converted to radical Islam will be held for 15 days, after prosecutors appealed the court's decision to release him. The six suspects were part of a larger group of fourteen detained for questioning (reftel) December 11 for alleged ties to Al Qaeda and evidence that they were planning a terrorist attack; the other eight suspects were released the following day for lack of evidence. ¶2. (SBU) The five who will be held at least 30 more days are: Malika El-Aroud: radical extremist, alleged jihadist recruiter, and sponsor of a radical website. She was married to one of the suicide attackers who murdered Afghan general Massood in 2001. Hicham Beyayo: alleged suicide attacker. Abdelaziz Abdullah Bastin: son of a local cab driver who converted to Islam and has propagated extremists standpoints. Youssef Arissi Ali El-Ghannouti BUSH .