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Abdelghani Mzoudi	Abdelghani Mzoudi	al-Qaeda in Europe	Europe				20030813
	Abdelghani Mzoudi	al-Qaeda	Europe	Moroccan	At Large		20031024
		friend of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta and other members of the Hamburg cell that led the Sept. 11 attacks. Mzoudi has always denied any knowledge of the plot.He was acquitted last year of complicity in the attacks and of belonging to a terrorist group. The presiding judge at the time described him as a "fringe figure" and said he was being freed because of insufficient evidence against him, not because the court was convinced of his innocence.

Europe

Spanish court set to rule on Yarkas and flunkies

2005-09-23

Spain's High Court is due to deliver its verdicts on Monday on 24 people accused of al Qaeda membership, including three who face more than 70,000 years in jail each if convicted of helping the September 11 hijackers. The verdicts will be a crucial test of the credibility of the multiple investigations of Islamist militants launched by Spanish magistrates and around Europe. The three-judge panel heard from more than 100 witnesses during a two-and-a-half month trial that ended in early July -- Europe's biggest trial of suspected Islamist militants. September 11-related prosecutions around the world have had little success. A Hamburg court sentenced Mounir El Motassadeq, a Moroccan, to seven years in prison last month, ruling he was a member of the group of radical Hamburg-based Arab students that provided help to three of the September 11 suicide pilots and was aware of their plans to use planes in an attack on the United States. But it found he knew too little of the details to be convicted of abetting mass murder. Abdelghani Mzoudi was tried in Hamburg on the same charges as Motassadeq but acquitted in February 2004. The central figure in the Madrid trial is Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, also known as Abu Dahdah, who is accused of being the leader of an al Qaeda cell in Spain. If convicted of helping the hijackers plan the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, he could face jail terms of 74,337 years -- 25 years for each of 2,973 people killed plus 12 years for leading a terrorist group. Yarkas and two others could be asked to pay a total of more than $1 billion (555 million pounds) in compensation to families of September 11 victims. Yarkas and the other defendants have protested their innocence, saying there is no basis for the charges. "It's a myth. No cell exists," Yarkas told the court. "All of us here are friends and neighbours ... and they have tried to invent a cell." Yarkas and Driss Chebli, another defendant, are accused of helping prepare a July 2001 meeting in Spain at which prosecutors say the September 11 attacks may have been planned. Investigators believe hijacker Mohamed Atta and Ramzi bin al-Shaibah, suspected coordinator of the U.S. attacks, attended the meeting. Chebli also faces prison sentences totalling more than 74,000 years if convicted on all counts. The third defendant accused of a role in the September 11 attacks is Syrian-born real estate developer Ghasoub al Abrash Ghalyoun, who prosecutors say travelled to the United States in 1997 and filmed New York City landmarks such as the World Trade Centre, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. He is alleged to have passed on the videotape to al Qaeda. However, the video, played at the trial, bore all the hallmarks of standard holiday picture-taking, with pictures of friends that included the cue "Say cheese". The High Court freed Ghalyoun on bail in May, indicating the judges may be leaning towards acquitting him, legal sources said. Five other defendants were conditionally freed in June. However, two other defendants freed for health reasons, including Al Jazeera journalist Tayseer Alouni, were re-arrested last Friday. The court considered them a flight risk. Alouni and Jamal Hussein each face nine years in prison if convicted of belonging to a terrorist group. Alouni interviewed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden shortly after the September 11 attacks. Prosecutors accuse him of carrying money intended for al Qaeda members during visits to Afghanistan for his journalistic work. He denies the allegations.

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Europe

Hamburg cell status report

2005-08-20

A German court will rule Friday in the retrial of the only man ever convicted of involvement in the plot behind the September 11 attacks. Moroccan national Mounir El Motassadeq, 31, was the first person worldwide to be convicted over the attacks but a federal tribunal ordered a new trial in March 2004 on the grounds that key witnesses in US custody were not allowed to testify. Following are brief details—according to prosecutors in Germany and US investigators—of those believed to have been most involved in the so-called Hamburg cell in the northern German port city where three of the attackers lived. Mohammed Atta: seen as the suicide hijackers’ ringleader, he died piloting the American Airlines plane that crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Born September 1, 1968 in Cairo, he came to Germany in 1992 and studied at university in Hamburg. A strict Muslim, Atta built up the Hamburg cell and provided its spiritual backbone. He attended training camp in Afghanistan in late 1999, then enrolled for flight lessons in the United States. Marwan Al Shehhi: born May 9, 1978 in the United Arab Emirates, he died flying the United Airlines plane which crashed into the southern tower of the World Trade Center. He came to Germany in 1996, met Atta at language school. Attended Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan before learning to fly in United States. Ziad Jarrah: born May 11, 1975 in Lebanon, he died on the United Airlines jet that crashed in rural Pennsylvania when passengers tackled the hijackers. Arrived in Germany in 1996. Attended training in Afghanistan before joining a US flying school. Abdelghani Mzoudi: the third person worldwide to be charged and the second from the Hamburg cell. The Moroccan national was arrested in Hamburg in October 2002 and acquitted in February 2003 of 3,066 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. Left Germany in June 2005 under threat of deportation. Had close ties to most of cell, particularly Zakariya Essabar—whom he allegedly supplied money for planned flight lessons in Florida—and Al Shehhi, for whom he provided accommodation. Spotted at a training camp in Afghanistan in mid-2000. Ramzi Binalshibh: also known as Ramzi bin Al Shaiba. Born in Yemen on May 1, 1972, he was arrested in Karachi exactly a year after the attacks. During trial he emerged as a leading figure in the Hamburg group. Binalshibh arrived in Germany in 1995 and applied for asylum. He met Atta at a mosque, and shared a flat with him for a while. Binalshibh boasted in an interview with satellite TV network Al Jazeera that he was an active Al Qaeda planner in the September 11 attacks. Enrolled in a flying school but refused entry to United States four times. Binalshibh reportedly told US investigators that Motassadeq and Mzoudi had nothing to do with plot. Said Bahaji: born July 15, 1975 in Haseluenne, northern Germany, to a German mother and Moroccan father. Introduced to Atta by Motassadeq, Bahaji became a close friend, paying the rent on a flat he shared with Atta and Binalshibh. Described as responsible for logistics, he went to Afghan training camp in early 2000. Bahaji fled Germany shortly before the attacks, and is still at large. He is reportedly in close contact with his wife in Germany via e-mail and telephone. Zakariya Essabar: born April 3, 1977 in Morocco. Arrived in Germany in 1997, studied in Hamburg from 1998 and introduced to Atta by Motassadeq. Attended training in Afghanistan in early 2000. He also lived for a while in Atta’s flat along with Binalshibh, and studied and worked with Jarrah. Wanted to fly in early 2001 to Florida where Atta and Al Shehhi were then staying, but twice refused a visa. He is also still at large.

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Europe

Moroccan jailed in 9/11 retrial

2005-08-19

A Moroccan man who was friends with three of the 9/11 suicide hijackers has been found guilty in Germany of belonging to a terrorist organisation. Mounir al-Motassadeq, 31, was sentenced to seven years in prison following a year-long retrial. Not quite grounds for ululation, but I'm happy to hear it. I was afraid they were going to let him off... However, the court in Hamburg ruled there was no proof that he knew about the 11 September 2001 plot. Motassadek was originally convicted of those charges in 2003 but the verdict was overturned and a retrial ordered. After the original conviction was quashed by Germany's Supreme Court last year, the retrial heard new evidence - excerpts of interviews with key al-Qaeda suspects provided by the US. One of these told how Motassadek had taken part in vitriolic anti-US discussions in the home of hijacker Mohammed Atta, but also insisted he was not aware of the 9/11 plot. "Nope. We never told him about it. We wanted it to be a surprise. I mean, he's vicious and all, but not very bright. His job was mostly going out for coffee..." Prosecutors argued that Motassadeq provided key assistance to the "Hamburg cell", pointing out that he signed the will of Atta - believed to be the ringleader of the 19 suicide hijackers - and held power of attorney on the bank account of another hijacker. While the hijackers were attending flight training schools in the US, he used that power of attorney to handle the transfer of small amounts of money for them. Motassadek had also admitted attending an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in early 2000. But he has repeatedly denied any prior knowledge of the attacks on New York and Washington, saying that the favours he did for the hijackers were just part of being a good Muslim. "Most of them were my lovers, but I don't think they really respected me..." When Motassadek was originally convicted, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Following the quashing of that conviction he was released on bail. Announcing the fresh verdict, Judge Ernst-Rainer Schudt did not explain the reasons, but he criticised the US for not giving more evidence. Washington had refused to let the court question captured al-Qaeda suspects, citing security concerns, and released only excerpts of information the prisoners revealed during interrogation. "The point is we would have liked to have questioned them ourselves," said Judge Schudt. He said the summaries released by the US did not constitute "sufficient proof in either direction". The BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin says the latest verdict is something of a surprise as there had been an expectation that Motassadeq would be acquitted, after a fellow Moroccan was cleared of having links to the 9/11 hijackers. Abdelghani Mzoudi was cleared by the same Hamburg court in February 2004 and the decision upheld by Germany's federal appeals court in June.

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Europe

The Hamburg Al Qaeda cell: dead, caught or at large

2005-08-18

HAMBURG, Germany - A German court will rule Friday in the retrial of the only man ever convicted of involvement in the plot behind the September 11 attacks. Moroccan national Mounir El Motassadeq, 31, was the first person worldwide to be convicted over the attacks but a federal tribunal ordered a new trial in March 2004 on the grounds that key witnesses in US custody were not allowed to testify. Following are brief details—according to prosecutors in Germany and US investigators—of those believed to have been most involved in the so-called Hamburg cell in the northern German port city where three of the attackers lived. Mohammed Atta: seen as the suicide hijackers’ ringleader, he died piloting the American Airlines plane that crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Born September 1, 1968 in Cairo, he came to Germany in 1992 and studied at university in Hamburg. A strict Muslim, Atta built up the Hamburg cell and provided its spiritual backbone. He attended training camp in Afghanistan in late 1999, then enrolled for flight lessons in the United States. Marwan Al Shehhi: born May 9, 1978 in the United Arab Emirates, he died flying the United Airlines plane which crashed into the southern tower of the World Trade Center. He came to Germany in 1996, met Atta at language school. Attended Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan before learning to fly in United States. Ziad Jarrah: born May 11, 1975 in Lebanon, he died on the United Airlines jet that crashed in rural Pennsylvania when passengers tackled the hijackers. Arrived in Germany in 1996. Attended training in Afghanistan before joining a US flying school. Abdelghani Mzoudi: the third person worldwide to be charged and the second from the Hamburg cell. The Moroccan national was arrested in Hamburg in October 2002 and acquitted in February 2003 of 3,066 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. Left Germany in June 2005 under threat of deportation. Had close ties to most of cell, particularly Zakariya Essabar—whom he allegedly supplied money for planned flight lessons in Florida—and Al Shehhi, for whom he provided accommodation. Spotted at a training camp in Afghanistan in mid-2000. Ramzi Binalshibh: also known as Ramzi bin Al Shaiba. Born in Yemen on May 1, 1972, he was arrested in Karachi exactly a year after the attacks. During trial he emerged as a leading figure in the Hamburg group. Binalshibh arrived in Germany in 1995 and applied for asylum. He met Atta at a mosque, and shared a flat with him for a while. Binalshibh boasted in an interview with satellite TV network Al Jazeera that he was an active Al Qaeda planner in the September 11 attacks. Enrolled in a flying school but refused entry to United States four times. Binalshibh reportedly told US investigators that Motassadeq and Mzoudi had nothing to do with plot. Said Bahaji: born July 15, 1975 in Haseluenne, northern Germany, to a German mother and Moroccan father. Introduced to Atta by Motassadeq, Bahaji became a close friend, paying the rent on a flat he shared with Atta and Binalshibh. Described as responsible for logistics, he went to Afghan training camp in early 2000. Bahaji fled Germany shortly before the attacks, and is still at large. He is reportedly in close contact with his wife in Germany via e-mail and telephone. Zakariya Essabar: born April 3, 1977 in Morocco. Arrived in Germany in 1997, studied in Hamburg from 1998 and introduced to Atta by Motassadeq. Attended training in Afghanistan in early 2000. He also lived for a while in Atta’s flat along with Binalshibh, and studied and worked with Jarrah. Wanted to fly in early 2001 to Florida where Atta and Al Shehhi were then staying, but twice refused a visa. He is also still at large.

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Europe

Acquitted Sept. 11 Suspect Leaving Germany

2005-06-21

A Moroccan acquitted of charges he helped the Sept. 11 hijackers was heading home Tuesday, two days ahead of the German deadline for him to leave the country. Abdelghani Mzoudi, 32, was aquitted in February 2004 of charges he helped Sept. 11 hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah in their plot to attack the United States. He faced charges of more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. Testimony at his trial showed that Mzoudi trained at the same al-Qaida camps as the hijackers and was close friends with them in Hamburg. But Hamburg state court judges ruled that the prosecution failed to prove he knew anything about their plot. After his acquittal was upheld earlier this month, Hamburg's top security official, Udo Nagel, said his office was still ordering him expelled because it "stands by its view that Mzoudi threatens the free democratic order and supports terrorist organizations." Mzoudi did not comment to reporters after his arrival at Hanover's airport. A man identifying himself as a Hamburg immigration official presented Mzoudi's passport at check-in, saying he would return it once inside the restricted area. Ahead of his departure, one of his lawyers, Guel Pinar told The Associated Press that Mzoudi was looking forward to returning to his family in Marrakesh. "He's happy he's going to see his family again," she said.

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Europe

Germany expels 9/11 suspect despite acquittal

2005-06-10

A German federal court on Thursday confirmed a 'not guilty' verdict on a Moroccan man accused of complicity in the Sept. 11 attacks, but authorities said they would expel him anyway. In the latest of a series of setbacks for prosecutors in high-profile terrorism trials in Germany, the federal court ruled that the acquittal of Abdelghani Mzoudi by a Hamburg court last year was sound. It turned down an appeal by the prosecution, which had argued the verdict was flawed and sought a new trial. Despite the decision, a Hamburg interior ministry spokesman said the city would press ahead with the expulsion of Mzoudi on the grounds of "support for a terrorist group". He was given two weeks to leave the country or be deported to Morocco. "He can go where he wants, we don't care. He must just leave Germany because he represents a danger for the German people and for German security," the spokesman said. "Get the hell out, and take your dynamite with you!"

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Europe

Mzoudi acquitted, but still going to be kicked out of Germany

2005-06-09

A German federal court confirmed a "not guilty" verdict on a Moroccan man accused of links to the Sept. 11 attacks, but authorities still want to expel him from Germany. In February 2004, a Hamburg court cleared Abdelghani Mzoudi of being involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The appeals court turned down an appeal by the prosecution on Thursday, saying that there was no sufficient evidence to justify a retrial. Despite the court's decision, a Hamburg interior ministry spokesman said the government would expel Mzoudi on the grounds of "support for a terrorist group." He said that Mzoudi had two weeks to leave Germany voluntarily or be deported to Morocco. Asked how Mzoudi could be deported despite being innocent, the spokesman said: "These are two different things. A criminal offence has to be proven before a court, but under the law on foreigners, suspicion is enough" as basis for deportation. Mzoudi's lawyer, Hartmut Jacobi, said he wouldn't appeal and that he would go home to Morocco. Testimony at Mzoudi's trial showed that he was a friend of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta and other members of the Hamburg cell that led the Sept. 11 attacks. Mzoudi has always denied any knowledge of the plot. He was acquitted last year of complicity in the attacks and of belonging to a terrorist group. The presiding judge at the time described him as a "fringe figure" and said he was being freed because of insufficient evidence against him, not because the court was convinced of his innocence. The trial led to tensions between Germany and the United States because of Washington's refusal to allow al Qaeda detainees to testify. The chief federal prosecutor described the U.S. behavior as "incomprehensible." However, a top U.S. official told reporters in Berlin just before Thursday's decision that Mzoudi's acquittal would not harm relations with Germany. "It is not going to poison our relations," said Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

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Europe

(German) Court Upholds 9-11 Suspect's Acquittal

2005-06-09

A German appeals court Thursday upheld the acquittal of a Sept. 11 suspect in a case decided partly by U.S. refusals to allow the use of testimony from captured al-Qaida members. Abdelghani Mzoudi was acquitted in 2004 of charges he helped hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah in their plot to attack the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. The five-judge panel did not immediately say why it had upheld the verdict. Mzoudi's case will now be handed over to immigration authorities. With his student visa no longer valid, Mzoudi has two weeks to leave the country, said Norbert Smekal, a spokesman for the Hamburg state immigration department. The process could be delayed, however, if Mzoudi decides to apply for political asylum or take other legal steps, said Hartmut Jacobi, one of his attorneys. "He has not yet decided whether he will remain here," Jacobi told The Associated Press. Mzoudi had been charged with more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder and membership in a terrorist organization for allegedly providing logistical support to the three Hamburg-based suicide hijackers. Testimony at his trial showed that Mzoudi trained at the same al-Qaida camps as the hijackers and was close friends with them in Hamburg. But Hamburg state court judges ruled that the prosecution failed to prove he knew anything about their plot. In their appeal, prosecutors argued that the Hamburg judges failed to rule on whether Atta's group constituted a terrorist organization, making it impossible to determine whether Mzoudi was a member. Mzoudi's friend and fellow Moroccan, Mounir el Motassadeq, was convicted in 2003 of identical charges and sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison. The same panel that heard Mzoudi's case at the Federal Court of Justice overturned el Motassadeq's conviction last year and ordered a retrial, ruling that he had been unfairly denied testimony from al-Qaida captives in U.S. custody — an issue that also contributed to Mzoudi's acquittal. A verdict in the el Motassadeq case is expected in August. Hamburg authorities have said that if he is also acquitted, they will move to expel him to Morocco as well, once his appeals are exhausted.

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Europe

Germany Acquits Suspect of Terror Charges

2005-04-06

A Tunisian man accused of planning attacks in Germany for al-Qaida was acquitted of terrorism charges Wednesday but found guilty of illegal weapons possession and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years, nine months in prison. The verdict marked another setback for the German government, which has had difficulty making charges stick in several post-Sept. 11 terror cases. Federal prosecutors alleged that Ihsan Garnaoui, 34, planned attacks on U.S. or Jewish targets to coincide with the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. They had sought a six-year prison sentence on charges that included attempting to form a terrorist group. The Berlin state court found Garnaoui guilty only of the lesser charges, which also included immigration violations. Garnaoui was arrested in Berlin on March 20, 2003, the day the invasion began. Prosecutors had claimed he started training at one of Osama bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan in 2001 and later received orders from an unknown al-Qaida member to plan attacks in Germany and recruit others. The court said there was evidence that he went abroad to train for terrorist attacks and endorsed violence in discussions with others, but that prosecutors failed to prove he was recruiting for a terror group. "General discussions about the question of whether one may take violent action against 'nonbelievers' does not constitute (attempted) creation of a terrorist group," the court said in a statement. He allegedly returned to Germany in January 2003 with the help of a forged passport after a journey through South Africa and Belgium. Garnaoui's lawyers maintained there was no proof he was ever in Afghanistan. In other cases, German prosecutors are retrying Mounir el Motassadeq, a Moroccan student, for allegedly helping the Hamburg-based Sept. 11 hijackers. An appeals court threw out his 2003 conviction and ordered the retrial, ruling he had been unfairly denied the testimony of al-Qaida suspects in U.S. custody. Abdelghani Mzoudi, a fellow Moroccan who was tried on the same charges, was acquitted in February 2004 by a Hamburg court.

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Europe

German Taxpayers Pay for 9/11 Plotter to Continue Education

2004-08-24

A Moroccan accused of helping the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers, but acquitted by a German court, may continue his university education in Germany, a court ruled on Tuesday. Abdelghani Mzoudi had been charged with aiding and abetting the murder of about 3,000 people and belonging to a terrorist group, the Hamburg cell of al Qaeda that prosecutors say led the attacks. But in February he was acquitted. The court in the northern port city argued it was not convinced of his innocence, but that there was insufficient proof to convict him. Mzoudi is facing a prosecution appeal against the acquittal. A different Hamburg court ruled on Tuesday that Mzoudi must be allowed to continue his education at the publicly-funded Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. He studies information technology and electrical engineering there. The university had attempted to prevent Mzoudi from continuing his studies on the grounds of what it described as his "radical Islamic fundamentalist" beliefs. Mzoudi challenged this in the court, which ruled that his interim grades were the sole criteria for determining his eligibility to continue his education. Mzoudi's friend and countryman Mounir el Motassadeq is the only man to have been convicted over the 2001 attacks. Last year Motassadeq was sentenced to 15 years by the same Hamburg court that acquitted Mzoudi. Earlier this year, Motassadeq won the right to a retrial which is currently under way in Hamburg. Germany wants to deport both Moroccans once all legal proceedings are concluded. The city state of Hamburg argued both posed a "particular danger" to Germany. Three of the Sept. 11 suicide pilots also studied in Hamburg.

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Terror Networks

Motassadek 'didn't know about 9/11 plan'

2004-08-11

The man charged with helping the 11 September plotters "knew nothing about the plan", a German court has heard. Summaries of interviews with al-Qaeda suspects in US custody were read out at the trial of Moroccan Mounir al-Motassadek on Wednesday. The US had earlier said it would not allow its al-Qaeda suspects to testify at Mr Motassadek's retrial. Prosecutors had hoped to use evidence from Ramzi Binalshibh to reverse the quashing of Mr Motassadek's conviction. The summaries were faxed to the court by the US State Department. Al-Qaeda suspect Mr Binalshibh told US interviewers that "the only members of the Hamburg cell" were himself and hijackers Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah. He said that the activities of the Hamburg group were not known to Mr Motassadek. The summary said that the group was "well known by a number of Arab students" but "Binalshibh said that the people in question had no knowledge and were not participants in any facet of the operative plans of 11 September". Similar evidence from the US led to the acquittal in February 2004 of another Moroccan, Abdelghani Mzoudi, tried on the same charges in Germany.

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Europe

Moroccan faces German retrial for 9/11 attacks

2004-08-09

A Moroccan man accused of helping to plot the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States goes on trial for the second time in Germany this week. But the retrial of Mounir el Motassadeq on conspiracy and terrorism charges, which starts on Tuesday, is already threatened by disagreements with the United States over evidence from a leading Al Qaeda figure currently in American custody. Motassadeq was the first person convicted in connection with the 2001 attacks and was sentenced to 15 years' jail in 2003. But he won an appeal in March this year and was freed the following month pending a new trial -- sparking anger in Washington, which called him "dangerous". Germany has been pressing the US to let judges question Ramzi bin al-Shaibah -- a leading Al Qaeda figure captured in Pakistan in 2002 who is thought to have masterminded the Sept. 11 attacks -- or to allow transcripts of his interrogation to be used at the retrial. Washington has so far resisted on security grounds. As well as evidence from bin al-Shaibah, Germany has asked for testimony, either directly or in writing, from another top Al Qaeda figure, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and suspected Sept. 11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui, former CIA head George Tenet and FBI Special Agent Matthew Walsh, a court spokeswoman said. So far, however, the requests as well as a list of questions Germany would like put to bin al-Shaibah have gone unanswered. It is unclear whether a response will come before the end of the trial. "There has been no answer, we must wait and see what reaction comes from the United States," the spokeswoman said. Motassadeq's lawyer has said he would challenge any evidence from bin al-Shaibah on the grounds that it may have been gained through the use of torture. Hamburg became one of the main focuses of investigations into the Sept. 11 hijack attacks after it emerged that several of the plotters had lived in the northern port city. But prosecutors have faced mounting criticism after their failure to secure a conviction against Motassadeq or fellow-Moroccan Abdelghani Mzoudi, who was acquitted of similar charges in February and now faces an appeal by prosecutors. The two were part of a circle of Arab students living in Hamburg which included three of the Sept. 11 hijackers and bin al-Shaibah, who has boasted of his role in masterminding the strike on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001. Federal Prosecutor Kay Nehm travelled to the US in April to request help from authorities there but has been heavily criticised for not pursuing the investigation against suspected Sept. 11 plotters vigorously enough. According to the influential news weekly Der Spiegel, the government has become increasingly concerned about the handling of the case and Interior Minister Otto Schily has pushed vigorously for tougher controls on militant suspects. Whatever the final result of both cases, the government considers both Motassadeq and Mzoudi pose a particular threat to Germany and has served deportation orders that would come into effect at the end of the criminal cases, subject to appeal.

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