US embassy cable - 03FRANKFURT2405

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 FRANKFURT 002405 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/TNC - MIKE STEINITZ 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/EU - BOWMAN MILLER AND HENRY RECTOR 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT - PAUL BOYD AND STEPHANIE MOLNAR 
DEPARTMENT FOR DS/OP/EUR 
 
FBI FOR INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS UNIT - SUE CURTIS 
FBI FOR COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION - KEVIN FOUST 
 
JUSTICE FOR CRIMINAL DIVISION, OFFICE OF TERRORISM AND 
VIOLENT CRIMES - TERESA WALLBAUM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PINR, PGOV, AG, GM 
SUBJECT:  VERDICT IN FRANKFURT TERRORISM TRIAL - WHAT WE 
LEARNED ABOUT THE FRANKFURT CELL'S METHODS AND CONTACTS 
 
REF: A. 2002 FRANKFURT 3580 (NOTAL); B. 2002 FRANKFURT 5829; 
C. 2002 FRANKFURT 6207; D. 2002 FRANKFURT 10187 
 
1. (U) Background and summary: This cable is a wrap up of 
the Frankfurt terrorism trial. It is based on observations 
by U.S. officials at the trial, but is not to be taken as a 
verbatim transcript of the proceedings.  When the written 
verdict is published, post will provide it to Department. 
 
2.  (U)  Summary continued: Four Algerians and one Moroccan, 
part of a group commonly referred to as the "Frankfurt cell" 
or the "Meliani Group", were arrested in December 2000. 
Bomb-making materials and weapons were found in their 
Frankfurt apartments.  On March 10, 2003, four of the five 
defendants were sentenced to 10-12 years of prison (the 
possible maximum being 15) for plotting to bomb the 
Christmas market in Strasbourg, France.  One defendant, 
Busid Karimou, had his case severed from the rest of the 
group.  He was charged with membership in a terrorist group 
and was released from detention on August 30, 2002.  All the 
defendants trained in camps in Afghanistan.  The trial 
provided insight into the activities of a group of 
terrorists, who trained in Afghanistan, and operated in 
western Europe against a European target.  This cable 
compiles what was learned during the trial about the 
backgrounds of the terrorists and suspected terrorists, 
their movements and operations, and their connections to 
other terrorists in Europe.  End background and summary. 
 
 
Defendants Trained in Afghanistan, But Court Could Not Prove 
Al Qaeda Connection 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
3. (U) The group was arrested in December 2000 and their 
trial began in Frankfurt on April 2002, at the Higher State 
Court (Oberlandesgericht), convened by the Special Panel for 
State Security Cases (Staatsschutzsenat).  Four of the five 
defendants, Aerubi Beandali, Lamine Maroni, Fuhad Sabour and 
Salim Boukhari, were charged with forming a terrorist 
organization, planning an explosion, plotting to commit 
murder, falsifying documents, and possession of weapons. 
They were sentenced to 10-12 years in prison and have only a 
week to appeal, although their basis for appeals under 
German law is limited to procedural irregularities.  The 
theoretical maximum sentence was 15 years.  A formal written 
verdict is expected before the end of March. 
 
4. (SBU) Defendants Beandali, Boukhari and Karimou admitted 
to training in terrorist camps in Afghanistan (Jalalabad, 
Khost and Khaldan).  Boukhari also mentioned learning 
electronics in Turkum, which he described as a "Kurdish 
camp" (presumably in Turkum, Pakistan).  Sabour said he had 
a year's training in "Islamic studies" in Afghanistan 
(presumably also at a terrorist camp) where he met Beandali 
and Boukhari.  A witness, Hassan Aknoush, said that Maroni 
also trained with terrorists in Afghanistan.  The court 
never successfully determined who planned or ordered the 
attack, although Chief Judge Zeiher said it probably 
originated with a man called Abu Doha in London.  Due to the 
complications of getting witnesses from other countries, the 
prosecution dropped the charge of "membership in a terrorist 
organization" on January 15, 2003.  The prosecution 
determined that proving the defendants were linked with 
known terrorist organizations would have dragged out the 
trial (it had already lasted nearly a year) without 
increasing the severity of the ultimate sentences.  There 
were some indications the group was affiliated with the 
Algerian GSPC or Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, 
and their Afghanistan training suggests an Al Qaeda 
connection, but the court was unable to verify these 
connections. 
 
 
The Defendants: Multiple Aliases 
-------------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) The following are the known names/aliases and dates 
of birth of the defendants.  (Some variances in spelling 
have been seen in different sources.) 
 
A. Aeurobui Beandali (also Deandali) DOB 12/10/1975; aka Ben 
Ali; aka Mustapha Mestpha Kelouili DOB 11/19/1978; aka 
Djilali Benali Correia DOB 7/15/1975; aka Djilali Adadi DOB 
6/5/1975.  Presumed Algerian. 
 
B. Lamine Moroni, DOB 1/10/1970; aka Benard Pascale, DOB 
7/25/1970. Presumed Algerian. 
 
C. Salim Boukhari (also Boukari), DOB 8/8/1971; aka Hicham 
El-Haddad, DOB 4/30 1980; aka Claude Aman, DOB 8/8/1971; aka 
Karim Muscat DOB 8/8/1971; aka Messaoud (also Mesud) Zamali 
(also Zemani) DOB 8/4/1966; aka Mihdi; aka Malsara; aka 
Kamal.  Presumed Algerian. 
 
D. Fouhad Sabour, DOB 2/13/1965; aka Hassene Benaimine DOB 
12/08/1967; aka Samir Bouinoual DOB 8/9/1978; aka Alain 
Dubois; aka Morira. French or Algerian. 
 
E. Samir Karimou (also Krimou) aka Ibrahim Ahmed, DOB 
12/18/1968; aka Abdel Kader. (Released from prison August 
30, 2002, continued attending trial.) Born in Rabat, 
Morocco. 
 
 
The Evidence: Bomb-Making Materials, Weapons, Forged 
Passports, Videotape of Strasbourg Christmas Market 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
6.  (SBU) The evidence presented in the case included a 
surveillance videotape of the Strasbourg Christmas market 
and surrounding area, the weapons and the bomb-making 
materials found in the apartments, and police recordings of 
defendants' phone conversations.  Two apartments and a 
rental car were searched by the Bundeskriminalamt or BKA 
(similar to the FBI).  An apartment in Roederbergweg was 
searched on December 23 and 26, 2000.  Another apartment on 
Sigmund Freud Strasse was searched on December 25-26, 2000. 
Items found included various passports and identification 
papers (some of them fraudulent); weapons, including two 
mini-machine pistols; 2 semi-automatic weapons; a revolver 
and ammunition; a hand grenade; 20 kg of potassium 
permanganate; various electrical components and wires; 
chemicals and a detonator; batteries; acetone peroxide 
(TATP); mobile phones; cannabis or hashish; nails; and cash 
in various currencies (German marks, British pounds, French 
francs.)  (Note: the cannabis or hashish was apparently seen 
on the initial search on December 23, 2000, but were missing 
when the items were seized on December 26.)  Various notes 
and letters were also found.  Forged passports were also 
found in one of the defendant's rental cars.  Defendant 
Beandali stated the weapons were eventually to be shipped to 
Algeria. 
 
 
The Defendants, Background, Statements, Observations 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
Defendant, Aeurobui Beandali: The Bomb Builder 
 
7.  (SBU) Aeurobui Beandali was the first of the defendants 
to testify before the court.  Beandali expressed regret for 
his actions, stating that the events of September 11 had 
changed his views on terrorism as a means of political 
change.  Of the five defendants, Beandali seems to have been 
in Germany the longest but had the strongest connection to 
Algeria.  He said his original motivation was anger over 
human rights abuses committed by the Algerian military 
government.  Beandali said he has been a member of the 
Islamic Salvation Front political party (outlawed in 1992). 
Beandali fled Algeria in 1992 at the age of 16 and applied 
for political asylum in Germany.  After committing several 
criminal offences, including theft and aggravated assault, 
Beandali's German asylum application was rejected and he was 
ordered deported in April 1992.  He went into hiding to 
avoid deportation, supporting himself by petty crime and 
drug trafficking.  He also spent some time in France, 
although the dates are unclear, where he apparently also 
committed robbery and drug-related crimes. 
 
8. (SBU) Beandali gave contradictory statements about his 
whereabouts in 1999-2000.  In one statement he said from 
March 1999 until spring 2000 he lived in an apartment on 
Leonardsgasse 7 in Frankfurt.  In another, he claimed he 
went to Afghanistan from about November 1999 - August 2000. 
Beandali said he paid his own way to train in a camp in 
Afghanistan, spending about $15,000 of his own money. 
Beandali claimed he had to pay for his own ammunition - $150 
for 750 rounds of ammunition.  He described his training in 
Afghanistan as specializing in religion, light weapons, 
heavy weapons and explosives.  Beandali said he met another 
defendant, Karimou, at a camp near the Afghan town of 
Khaldan, although Karimou stated he met Beandali in Khost. 
 
9. (SBU) Beandali said he was an expert in explosives and 
that it was his job to buy the bomb-building materials for 
the Frankfurt cell. He explained that the bomb was to be 
placed in a large, aluminum, Pakistani steam pot, which he 
ordered in London.  (Note: The fact that this would have 
produced deadly splinter fragments was used as evidence that 
the targets were people and not an empty synagogue as the 
other defendants claimed.  End Note.)  He also bought large 
amounts of potassium permanganate.  Found among the evidence 
seized in the Frankfurt apartment was a letter, purportedly 
from a company, attempting to place an order for 115 
kilograms of potassium permanganate.  Beandali admitted that 
he and Boukhari had written the letter using a fabricated 
company name and person (Barakhat).  Given the large amount 
of potassium permanganate, the prosecutors asked if the 
group planned multiple attacks.  Beandali stated that 
several attacks in Algeria were planned after Strasbourg, 
hence the large amount of bomb materials. 
 
10. (SBU) The BKA testified on what was found in Beandali's 
rental car, which was in very bad shape.  Found inside were 
a backpack, several false passports, various papers and 
passport photos.  One of the passports was connected with 
Aknoush and Aknoush's fingerprints were found on the 
backpack.  (Note: Aknoush, an associate of the Frankfurt 
cell, is in custody in France.)  They also found a mobile 
phone, whose number matched with one being monitored by the 
BKA. 
 
11. (SBU) Despite Beandali's sometimes contradictory 
statements and previous criminal record, he was actually the 
most open with the court, helped moved the proceedings 
along, and expressed regret for his actions and a desire to 
turn away from Islamic extremism.  He received the lightest 
sentence, ten years, due to his cooperation with the court. 
Beandali accepted the sentence and said he would not appeal. 
 
 
Defendant, Lamine Maroni: The Disruptive, Absurd One 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
12. (SBU) Beandali had stated that Lamine Maroni's only job 
was to help him mix the chemicals to make explosives and 
that he was not involved in planning the attack.  Maroni did 
not formally testify but confirmed some statements by 
defendant Sabour.  Maroni said Beandali was the leader of 
the Frankfurt cell and he openly displayed hostility to 
Beandali.  Maroni's role in the group was unclear, but the 
other defendants seemed to be a bit afraid of him.  Maroni 
seems to have been in England before coming to Frankfurt 
with Boukhari sometime in late 2000.  Maroni did not 
cooperated with his lawyers, then complained he was 
uninformed.  A witness, Hassan Aknoush, has stated that 
Maroni also trained with terrorists in Afghanistan. 
 
13. (SBU) Maroni was disruptive from the start.  On the 
first day of the trial he shouted, "Everyone here is a Jew!" 
He said that non-believers are dirt, that he did not want a 
lawyer, and that he only had contact with God.  He continued 
to disrupt proceedings on subsequent trial days and was 
absent for the fourth trial session on May 7, 2002, after 
being found in prison with a razor blade which he used to 
cut up his clothing.  He later rejoined the trial, having 
missed several sessions.  Maroni enjoyed engaging in 
distracting behavior, especially when it seemed sensitive 
information was about to be revealed by a defendant or 
witness.  He yelled out things to the other defendants such 
as, "Sometimes they lie to you to get you talking."  He 
demanded sandwiches, chocolate, made absurd statements, 
criticized the judges and prosecuting attorneys, and 
complained loudly about his handcuffs. 
 
14. (SBU) Maroni received a sentence of eleven years, one 
year higher than the prosecution had requested, for his lack 
of cooperation and repeated hostile statements.  His 
outbursts demonstrated his hatred and ruthlessness, the 
court concluded. 
 
 
Defendant Salim Boukhari: The London Connection 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
15. (SBU) The defendant Salim Boukhari appears to have had 
the strongest connections to London. The Algerian Embassy 
questioned him on October 30, 2002 with his lawyers present. 
The Algerian Embassy confirmed that Boukhari was Algerian, 
but cast doubt on the accuracy of the name and Algerian 
address he had given.  When Judge Zeiher read Boukhari's 
Algerian address from a letter Boukhari had written (50 
Boulevard Mohammed V, Algiers, 1016 Algeria), Boukhari 
declined to confirm it, but asked the judge not to reveal it 
to the Algerian Embassy, apparently afraid the Algerian 
government might harm his family.  The judge responded that 
the address was not a secret. 
 
16. (SBU) According to his own statement, Boukhari wanted to 
study in France but failed to get a residence permit.  He 
went to London but was deported, though the dates are 
unclear.  Somehow he returned, and according to his own 
statements, lived in London starting from about 1995.  He 
married Tina Nash and lived with her at 79 Blesbury Road in 
London.  He worked for a security company called Mitas 
Security and then later moved to the Layton Stone district. 
He met a man named Noureddine in 1995, who got him 
interested in religion.  After Boukhari's divorce in 1998, 
he moved in with Noureddine, who recruited him for Islamic 
causes, showing him videos of Algeria, Chechnya and 
Palestine.  Boukhari said he thought of donating money to 
the Algerian freedom struggle but instead used his life 
savings of 3000 British pounds to go to Afghanistan via 
Pakistan. 
 
17. (SBU) He arrived in Peshawar in early 2000.  He was 
welcomed by Hassan Aknoush and other Algerians, including a 
man named Jaffa.  Boukhari trained for five months in 
Afghanistan in light and heavy weapons, electronics and 
religion.  He became ill with malaria and typhoid fever and 
returned to Pakistan where he stayed with Jaffa.  In 
Pakistan, Boukhari got to know Beandali.  When Jaffa was 
forced to flee, pursued by Pakistani intelligence services, 
Boukhari obtained a forged British passport and returned to 
London on September 16, 2000.  He remarried in October 2000 
and had a son on June 19, 2001.  He met Noureddine again, 
who asked him if he was willing to go to Frankfurt to pick 
up some weapons from Aknoush.  Boukhari went to Frankfurt in 
early November 2000 for a few days.  Later in November 2000, 
he returned to Frankfurt, accompanied by Maroni, and stayed 
with Beandali. 
 
18. (SBU) Boukhari's statements to the court were often 
confusing and inconsistent.  Regarding his involvement in 
the attack in Strasbourg, Boukhari said that the planning 
began in early December 2000, and claimed he agreed to 
participate if no one would be hurt.  He also claimed he 
intended to return to London in December 2000, and therefore 
would not be present at the time of the attack.  Boukhari 
admits he was the point of contact for Nourredine in London. 
Boukhari claims, however, that Nourreddine did not give 
orders or designate a target but gave "only ideas." 
Boukhari admitted buying chemicals at different locations in 
Germany with the help of Sabour.  Boukhari also admitted 
making the comment on the surveillance videotape of the 
Strasbourg Christmas market, "These are the enemies of God. 
They dance and are happy, God willing they will stew in 
hell." 
 
19. (SBU) Aknoush stated that Boukhari was in contact with 
Abu Doha in London.  Boukhari said he had spoken with Abu 
Doha but only on the subject of renting rooms in Baden 
Baden.  Aknoush, in a statement from detention in France, 
also said that Boukhari was the assigned leader of the 
Frankfurt cell.  Boukhari stated that the attack was planned 
for the end of January or beginning of February 2001, 
perhaps, again to distract from the Christmas market as 
target and the charge of attempted murder. 
 
20. (SBU) Boukhari received the longest sentence of the four 
defendants, twelve years in prison.  Judge Zeiher concluded 
he was the "driving force" behind the Frankfurt cell who 
obtained money for the operation, purchased the largest 
amount of bomb-making materials, and handled logistics.  He 
cooperated only reluctantly with the court, and frequently 
expressed hatred of Jews and western culture. 
 
 
Defendant, Fouhad Sabour 
------------------------ 
 
21. (SBU) Fouhad Sabour said that he became involved with 
Islamic extremists in London in 1995.  In 1996, he was 
arrested in France for membership in a terrorist 
organization.  He admitted being a member of Algeria's GIA 
or Armed Islamic Front.  He said that he spent a year in 
Afghanistan (May 1999 - May 2000) for "Islamic legal 
studies."  (Note: Presumably, Sabour was also at a terrorist 
training camp, though he did not specify where.)  There he 
met Beandali and Boukhari.  It is not clear when Sabour came 
to Germany, but he said he met and moved in with Maroni in 
the Sigmund Freud Strasse apartment in Frankfurt.  Sabour 
admitted possessing three fraudulent passports and other 
forged documents and using aliases. 
 
22. (SBU) Sabour's role in the plot was unclear.  Boukhari, 
in his statements, denied that Sabour had any detailed 
knowledge of the bombing plans.  It seems Sabour was 
assigned some duties (specifics unclear) to help in carrying 
out the attack together with Boukhari or Beandali.  Boukhari 
said he and Sabour bought chemicals at different locations 
in Germany.  Sabour also admitted driving the car to 
Strasbourg, accompanying Boukhari to videotape the target. 
 
23. (SBU) Sabour received the second highest sentence of 
eleven and a half years.  The judges agreed with the 
prosecution that Sabour's participation in videotaping the 
Christmas market made him a willing accomplice in the 
attack. 
 
 
Defendant, Busid Karimou 
------------------------ 
 
23. (SBU) Busid Karimou was released from detention on 
August 30, 2002.  The court could not find any evidence he 
was involved in the preparations for the bomb attack, thus 
he was only charged with membership in a criminal group, 
which carries a one-to-ten year sentence.  The judge ordered 
Karimou released from custody after he was incarcerated for 
17 months, noting that continued detention was unreasonable, 
considering that a prisoner can be eligible for an early 
release, based on good behavior, after having served two 
thirds of the sentence.  The judge noted that Karimou had 
lied repeatedly, given a false name, and at first denied 
that he had trained in Afghanistan, and thus was not 
innocent. 
 
25. (SBU) According to his own statement, Karimou was born 
in Rabat, Morocco.  He moved to Algeria, then to Germany in 
February 1999.  He applied for asylum in Germany on February 
23, 1999 and fell in with hashish dealers while the decision 
was pending.  He felt he was being pursued by police and 
fled to London, where he hoped to get a job and a residence 
permit.  He began visiting the Finsbury Park mosque in 
London and became interested in religion and politics.  In 
January 2000, he joined a Tunisian friend named Amar and 
went to Afghanistan for training.  First he stayed with 
Jaffa in Peshawar, then went to a camp in Jalalabad.  There 
he met Boukhari, who had just ended his training.  He was 
required to turn in his forged French passport.  He met 
Beandali at a second camp in Khost.  The training was harder 
than he expected; Karimou said he argued constantly with his 
group leader and the other participants.  After only three 
months of training, he returned to Pakistan, where Jaffa 
accused him of being a traitor.  Karimou said he got his 
forged French passport back only after repeated attempts. 
 
26. (SBU) Karimou returned to London in May 2000 and met an 
old friend from Frankfurt, Abdel Hadid.  Unable to find a 
job in London, Karimou moved to Frankfurt in July 2000.  At 
first he had no place to stay, but then managed to throw 
Aknoush out of his apartment in Sporstrasse 61.  (The 
landlord was angry because Aknoush had not paid his rent.) 
Apparently this apartment was used as a meeting point for 
the group, and Beandali and Boukhari were frequent visitors. 
Karimou said he had no knowledge of the Strasbourg attack 
and was never a member of the group.  Beandali, in his 
statement, also said Karimou was innocent and not involved 
in the plot but only arrested because they were friends. 
According to Beandali, Karimou was merely in the wrong place 
at the wrong time when arrests were made. 
 
Witnesses, Contacts and Others Connected to the Frankfurt 
Cell 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
27. (SBU) Mohammed Afane, witness. Born in Algeria, age 26, 
arrived in Frankfurt in April 2000 after transiting Spain 
and France.  Afane said he had met Karimou in Frankfurt, and 
knew Karimou's brothers in Algeria.  Afane also testified 
that he met Boukhari (known to him as Hitscham) in 
Weiterstadt prison near Darmstadt.  Boukhari asked Afane to 
take a letter for him, which Afane declined to do after 
reading it.  He said the letter mentioned "saving money for 
weapons to support our friends" and a man named Suleiman who 
was not arrested and "hopefully could make it before he also 
gets arrested."  Afane assumed Suleiman was a dangerous 
terrorist.  (Note: Suleiman may be Slimane Khalfaoui or 
Slimane Mutamna, see below.) 
 
28. (SBU) Hassan Aknoush (aka Jassin; aka Moheme; aka 
Aknouche), witness.  In detention in France.  He apparently 
met Boukhari in Pakistan.  Aknoush's written statements were 
read by the Frankfurt court.  A backpack with Aknoush's 
fingerprints was found in Beandali's rental car.  Beandali 
has stated that the weapons seized in the Frankfurt 
apartment belonged to Aknoush, although Beandali denied 
Aknoush was connected to the bomb plot.  Beandali said he 
had known Aknoush since 1999.  Aknoush said, in statements 
to French authorities cited by the court in Frankfurt, that 
Abu Doha was the head of the Frankfurt cell and Boukhari was 
his closest contact.  Aknoush said that according to a phone 
call he had with Abu Doha, Abu Doha "picked Boukhari to be 
in charge of the attack in Strasbourg."  Aknoush stated, as 
reported in French police documents, that Boukhari and 
Maroni underwent training with Abu Kahba, an expert in bombs 
and chemical weapons connected to Al Qaeda, in Afganistan. 
 
29. (SBU) Abu Doha (aka Dr. Rashid), contact.  Suspected 
Algerian terrorist leader, in custody in England awaiting 
extradition to the United States based on his connection 
with the plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport 
during the Millenium.  He has been described by the media as 
the man who supervised Algerian terrorists in Europe once 
they had finished their training in Afghanistan.  Abu Doha 
was a contact of Boukhari's in London.  His role in the 
planned Strasbourg attack is unclear.  Defendant Beandali 
has denied Abu Doha was the leader of the Frankfurt cell. 
Defendant Boukhari has admitted to telephone conversations 
with Abu Doha, but said he has never met him.  Boukhari 
stated that Abu Doha had instructed the Frankfurt cell, 
presumably in December 2000, to rent another apartment "for 
a longer time," but Boukhari said that Abu Doha had nothing 
to do with the Strasbourg attack and was not the leader of 
the Frankfurt cell.  However, according to the BKA, British 
intelligence reported a telephone conversation between 
Boukhari (in Frankfurt) and Abu Doha (in London) on December 
24, 2000 in which the attack was discussed and Boukhari asks 
Abu Doha for more money for the rooms rented in Frankfurt. 
 
30. (SBU) Mohammed Sadikki (aka Mohammed Bitchu), witness. 
Got to know Maroni and Beandali in two German prisons. 
Sadikki provided the most extensive testimony of any 
witness.  According to Sadikki, Maroni admitted to 
participation in a number of terrorist operations in the 
U.K.  Sadikki said Beandali asked him to deliver a message 
to a mosque in Frankfurt and talked of the need to fight 
Christians and Jews.  Beandali mentioned a synagogue in 
Lille, France as a potential target.  Beandali also told 
Sadikki the group planned further attacks in Germany, France 
and Spain.  Beandali never mentioned the Strasbourg 
Christmas market to Sadikki, but Beandali said he would like 
to turn Rome, the cradle of Christianity, into ashes. 
Sadikki verified Beandali's role as bomb expert and 
indicated that Beandali and other members of the group 
coordinated their testimonies in prison before the trial 
started. 
 
31. (SBU) Sadikki mentioned Usama bin Laden twice.  Sadikki 
reported that Beandali asked him to contact a man named 
Abdul Rachman in London after his release.  Beandali 
described Rachman as "Usama bin Laden's representative" in 
London, who had also promised to take hostages to force the 
release of the members of the Frankfurt cell.  Sadikki also 
testified that Beandali told him that the camp in 
Afghanistan at which he was trained was run by Usama bin 
Laden.  Sadikki also said that the group used forged 
documents and stolen credit cards. Sadikki's testimony was 
sharply challenged by Beandali's attorney.  Sadikki also did 
not always strike observers as a credible witness since much 
of his testimony consisted of merely confirming statements 
he had given earlier to the police.  He also seemed to be 
exaggerating at times.  For example, at one point, he said 
the Frankfurt cell had 38 million German marks at their 
disposal, which caused the defendants to laugh. 
 
32. (SBU) Slimane Khalfaoui, (aka Azzedine; aka Slimane 
Amena; aka Sedine; aka "Tourist"), contact.  Was arrested in 
an eastern suburb of Paris, France on November 25, 2002 in 
connection with the Strasbourg bombing plot.  Slimane 
Khalfaoui is described by a New York Times report as "an 
important member of the Al Qaeda network in Europe," a 27- 
year-old with French-Algerian nationality, who fought in 
Bosnia and Afghanistan and has been on wanted lists since 
1996.  Beandali admitted knowing Slimane Khalfaoui.  The 
police have a recording of a phone conversation between 
Slimani Kalfaoui and Beandali from December 25, 2000.  They 
discussed the whereabouts of Noureddine and Slimane 
Kalfaoui's expected arrival in Frankfurt.  Slimane Khalfaoui 
may have lived in Lyon for a time, providing the Frankfurt 
cell with information on Jewish communities.  Beandali 
stated that Slimane Khalfaoui "sometimes resided in Germany, 
but also in France and Britain." 
 
33. (SBU) Abdul Rachman, alleged contact.  Described by the 
witness Sadikki (see above) as "Usama bin Laden's 
representative" in London, who had also promised to take 
hostages to force the release of the members of the 
Frankfurt cell.  Sadikki, in his testimony, stated that 
defendant Beandali had asked Sadikki to contact a man named 
Abdul Rachman in London after Sadikki's release. 
 
34. (SBU) Meliani, aka Mohamed Bensakhiria, alleged contact. 
Currently in French custody.  According to an Italian police 
report filed with a court in Milan, the Frankfurt cell is 
connected to Mohamed Bensakhiria in Italy.  Meliani has also 
been described as a leader of the Frankfurt cell and the BKA 
has investigated other Meliani contacts in Berlin.  The 
Frankfurt cell's connection to Meliani was never pursued by 
the Frankfurt court. 
 
35. (SBU) Lazahr ben Mohamad Tlilli, alleged contact.  A 33- 
year old Tunisian man was arrested in Marseille in mid- 
October 2000.  According to the media, Lazahr ben Mohamad 
Tlilli was in possession of false documents and telephone 
numbers of people suspected of terrorist involvement in 
Italy, Germany, Belgium, England and France.  Lazahr ben 
Mohamad Tlilli is alleged to have connections with at least 
one member of the Frankfurt cell.  The Frankfurt court did 
not pursue this connection. 
 
36. (SBU) Mounir Shuhaib, contact.  Another suspected 
terrorist and alias of the person who rented the apartment 
in Sigmund Freud Strasse according to BKA testimony. 
 
37. (SBU) Hassan Atap, contact.  According to Beandali, he 
is an opposition leader in Algeria and was his contact for 
planning attacks in Algeria. 
 
38. (SBU) Jaffa, contact. For a time based in Peshawar, 
described by Boukhari as a member of the Takfiri group, more 
extremist than the Taliban.  Karimou also mentioned Jaffa in 
Peshawar.  Karimou said Jaffa accused him of being a traitor 
when Karimou gave up after only three months of training in 
Afghanistan.  Jaffa was reluctant to return to Karimou his 
forged French passport.  (Note: Perhaps this is the Abu 
Jaffar mentioned by Ahmed Ressam, the millennium bomber in 
his 2001 testimony, as "in charge of the Algerian cells" 
training in Afghanistan.  Abu Jaffar was also described by 
Ressam as being a camp leader, and training recruits in the 
use of TNT and C4 explosives.) 
 
39. (SBU) Djoumakh, alleged contact.  In detention in 
France, presumed Algerian.  Mentioned in the November 23, 
2002 trial session by Judge Zeiher as a friend of Slimane 
Mutamna.  Prosecutor Brinkmann said that Djoumakh had 
testified on contacts Maroni, Boukhari and Sabour had with 
Abu Doha and Slimane Mutamna in London. 
 
40. (SBU) Salime (also Slimane) Mutamna, contact.  Boukhari 
said he, Salime Mutamna and Sabour were all together in 
Frankfurt in November 2000, where they attempted to purchase 
weapons for Algeria. 
 
 
Motivation, Connection to Al Qaeda? 
----------------------------------- 
 
41. (SBU) The defendants gave various and contradictory 
explanations of their motivation for a terrorist attack. 
Beandali, the most active in Algerian causes, claimed anger 
at human rights abuses in Algeria or "fighting the dangerous 
regime" in Algeria a motivation.  Beandali stated the 
weapons seized by authorities were intended for Algeria. 
Boukhari and Sabour also cited solidarity with the "struggle 
of the Palestinian people" as a reason.  A desire to disrupt 
relations between France and Israel was also mentioned.  All 
defendants seem to share a general hatred of Jews and 
Christians as shown in statements such as, "Non-believers 
don't deserve to breathe.  They are the enemies of God...." 
The court did not establish any clear motivation for the 
attack by the Frankfurt cell -- or any of its members -- or 
why Strasbourg in particular was selected as a target, 
though clearly the Strasbourg cathedral and market are 
heavily symbolic.  The defendants have given contradictory 
statements about whose idea the attack was.  Sabour stated 
it was the idea of the Frankfurt cell alone, while Beandali 
said that Boukhari received orders for the attack from 
London.  Defendants are vigorous in denying any connection 
to Al Qaeda, though their training in Afghanistan camps and 
contact with other known Al Qaeda network members make this 
claim somewhat doubtful.  The court abandoned attempts to 
prove an Al Qaeda connection by dropping membership in a 
terrorit organization charges in January, 2003. 
 
 
What was the London Connection?  What was the role of Abu 
Doha and Noureddine? 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
42. (SBU) Abu Doha: The London connection to the Frankfurt 
cell is unclear.  According to the BKA, British intelligence 
reported a phone call between Boukhari (in Frankfurt) and 
Abu Doha (in London) on December 24, 2000, in which a 
terrorist attack is discussed and Boukhari asks Abu Doha for 
more German money to pay for two rooms rented in Frankfurt. 
Boukhari admitted to having phone conversations with Abu 
Doha, but denied Abu Doha was the leader of the group. The 
criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New 
York alleges that Abu Doha facilitated the travel of 
trainees into Al-Qaeda-affiliated training camps and was 
responsible for establishing communication among various 
cells in the training camps (see par. 8).  In addition, in 
press statements, the prosecutors described Abu Doha as a 
key figure in Al Qaeda. 
 
43. (SBU) Noureddine (never further identified), Beandali's 
View: Noureddine was another London contact frequently 
mentioned.  Beandali said he distrusted Noureddine.  He said 
he met him in Afghanistan and noted he did not follow 
Islamic washing rites.  He described Noureddine as an 
Algerian with a French passport living in London.  He stated 
that Noureddine was an undercover agent of French 
intelligence and that Noureddine had told Beandali that the 
French secret service had offered him money to inform on 
Algerians living in London and Afghanistan.  Beandali also 
heard from a man known as "the Emir" that Noureddine was an 
informer.  Beandali also said that Noureddine was flown out 
of the Balkans by the French government.  Noureddine was 
also interested in a man named Hisham, whom Beandali claimed 
was wanted by the FBI.  Beandali said he helped Hisham 
escape from Afghanistan to London, then to Germany and 
Spain.  Eventually, Hisham was arrested in Algeria and 
Beandali believes Noureddine turned Hisham into the 
authorities.  Thus for several reasons, Beandali felt 
Noureddine was an informer.  In a somewhat contradictory 
statement, however, Beandali suspected Noureddine of 
directing the attack in Strasbourg (Comment: This seems 
strange for a French intelligence agent.  End comment) and 
giving orders to Boukhari from London.  Beandali told Judge 
Zeiher, when he "heard Noureddine in London was behind the 
plan," he "found it unlikely that the target was an empty 
building.  A guy like Noureddine certainly had something 
more spectacular in mind, something where people could be 
hurt." 
 
44. (SBU) Noureddine, Boukhari's View: In contrast, Boukhari 
appears to have been a rather close friend of Noureddine. 
Boukhari stayed with Noureddine at his London apartment at 
various times and between his marriages.  Noureddine 
apparently nudged Boukhari in the direction of Islamic 
extremism, inspiring him to train in Afghanistan.  Boukhari 
also said that the Frankfurt cell had 20,000 German marks at 
their disposal, which Noureddine had brought from London. 
Boukhari has been vague about Noureddine's role in the 
Strasbourg attack, but has stated that Noureddine only gave 
"ideas, not orders." 
 
 
CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENT 
----------------------- 
 
45. (SBU) The defendants, all of Algerian or Moroccan 
origin, spent time in western Europe (especially France, 
England and Germany), and were involved in terrorist and/or 
criminal activity for several years.  They moved easily in 
and out of Germany and around western Europe.  Four of the 
five (all but Maroni) have admitted to training in 
Afghanistan.  Three of the five (Beandali, Boukhari, 
Karimou) admitted to training in terrorist camps there.  A 
witness, Hassan Aknoush, has stated that Maroni also trained 
with terrorists in Afghanistan.  Thus if Aknoush is correct, 
all five defendants trained in Afghanistan.  The Frankfurt 
cell was planning some type of bomb attack in Strasbourg and 
had gathered significant bomb-making materials for the job. 
The Frankfurt cell had definite connections to others 
assumed to be terrorists or Islamic extremists in England 
and France.  Although the court could not prove an Al Qaeda 
connection, defendants admitted contact with Slimane 
Khalfaoui (in France, alleged member of Al Qaeda network), 
Abu Doha (in London, alleged member of Al Qaeda network); 
and Noureddine (in London, affiliation unknown.)  In reading 
the sentences, Judge Zeiher said that the arrest of the 
defendants had "prevented a bloodbath." 
 
46. (U) This message has been coordinated with Embassy 
Berlin. 
 
BODDE