US embassy cable - 04MADRID4649

UNCLAS MADRID 004649 
 
SIPDIS 
 
VISAS VIPER 
 
DEPT FOR CA/VO/L/C AND INR/IC/TIPOFF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS, KVPR, PTER, ASEC, CMGT, PINR, PREL, (BEN 
ABDELLAH, SAMIR ET AL) 
SUBJECT:  VISAS VIPER SUBMISSION 
 
 
1.   POST WISHES TO SUBMIT AND/OR UPDATE THE FOLLOWING 
  NAMES AND INFORMATION TO CLASS IN ACCORDANCE WITH VIPER 
  PROCEDURES: 
 
2.   NAME: BEN ABDELLAH, SAMIR 
 
  -    GENDER: MALE 
-    DPOB: NOV. 29, 1967, MOROCCO 
-    CLASS: POSITIVE 
 
3.   ON NOVEMBER 22, 2004 THE SPANISH POLICE ARRESTED 
  SAMIR BEN ABDELLAH AN ALLEGED RADICAL ISLAMIST WHO HAD 
  SERVED AS THE "IMAM" IN A MOSQUE IN MADRID AND WHO HAD 
  BEEN AT LARGE SINCE NOV. 2, 2004 WHEN THE SPANISH 
  NATIONAL COURT JUDGE ISSUED A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST. 
  AFTER FIRST COURT PROCEEDINGS, THE EXAMINING JUDGE 
  ORDERED HIS IMPRISONMENT.  HE IS ACCUSED OF MEMBERSHIP 
  IN A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.  THE INDICTMENT STATES 
  THAT IN 2003 HE PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE MEETINGS OF 
  THE RADICAL SALAFIST GROUP LED BY EXTREMIST MUSTAFA 
  MAIMOUNI, LINKED TO THE CASABLANCA TERRORIST EVENTS, 
  AND CURRENTLY ARRESTED IN MOROCCO.  ACCORDING TO THE 
  INDICTMENT "IT IS SUFFICIENTLY ACCREDITED THAT IN 2002 
  MUSTAFA MAYMOUNI, FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS OF ABDELATIF 
  MOURATIK, ALIAS "MALEK EL ANDALUSI" AN AL QAEDA 
  OPERATIVE MEMBER AND MILITANT OF THE LIBYAN ISLAMIC 
  COMBATANT GROUP AND ALSO THE MOROCCAN ISLAMIC COMBATANT 
  GROUP, CREATED TWO RADICAL GROUPS WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF 
  RECRUITING MUJAHIDINES FOR THE PRACTICE OF THE JIHAD IN 
  MOROCCO, SPAIN AND SOME OTHER COUNTRIES". 
 
4.   MAIMOUNI WAS RECRUITED BY AMER EL AZIZI, AN 
  ALLEGED AL QAEDA LEADER FOR EUROPE AND ONE OF THE 
  CONSPIRATORS FOR THE MADRID MARCH 11TH ATTACKS.  AT 
  THAT TIME, BOTH WERE MEMBERS OF THE ISLAMIC ESTREMIST 
  LINE "TABLIGH AL DAWA" (ISLAMIC MISSIONARIES FOR THE 
  STRICT OBSERVANCE OF ISLAM).  AFTER THE SEPT 11TH 
  ATTACKS AND MAIMOUNI'S FRUSTRATED ATTEMPTS TO TRAVEL TO 
  AFGHANISTAN, HE FOUNDED TWO TERRORIST CELLS, ONE IN 
  MADRID AND ANOTHER IN KENITRA, MOROCCO.  ACCORDING TO 
  THE INVESTIGATION, THE MEMBERS OF THE MADRID CELL USED 
  TO MEET FOR LONG HOURS TO WATCH VIDEO-TAPES CONTAINING 
  SERMONS AND CALLING FOR "THE JIHAD" AND DEFENDING THE 
  SALAFIST POSTULATES OF THE RADICAL ARMS "TAKFIR WAL 
  HIJRA" AND "SALAFIA JIHADIA". 
 
5.   OTHERS ASSOCIATED TO THE SPANISH CELL ARE: DRISS 
  CHEBLI; ABDERRAZAK AZZI, ALIAS: "ABDERRAZAK EL DE 
  MARRAKECH"; MOHAMED LARBI BEN SELLAM, (WHEREABOUTS 
  UNKNOWN) RELATED TO SAYED AHMED RABEI OSMAN ALIAS "THE 
  EGYPTIAN"; SARHAM BEN ABDELMAJID FAKHET, ALIAS: "EL 
  TUNECINO" WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE IN AN APARTMENT IN 
  MADRID; MOHAMED EL OUAZZANI; ABDELKRIM EL OUAZZANI; 
  NOUREDDINE BELLID; AZZEDINE BELLID; SAID BERRAJ ALIAS: 
  "EL MENSAJERO" WANTED FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT IN THE MADRID 
  MARCH 11TH ATTACKS AND MEMBERSHIP IN THE SPANISH AL 
  QAEDA CELL; DRISS DIBA; MOHAMED AFALAH, INDICTED IN THE 
  MARCH 11TH ATTACKS, (WHREABOUTS UNKNOWN); SAID REHOU; 
  FAISSAL ALLOUCH, ALSO INDICTED IN THE MARCH 11TH 
  ATTACKS, PRESENTLY IMPRISONED.  ALL CLASS POSITIVE 
  EXCEPT DRISS DIBA AND SAID REHOU, DPOB: UNKNOWN. 
 
MANZANARES