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Africa North
Morocco debates religious discourse
2014-05-27
[MAGHAREBIA] Reformed jihadists, researchers and members of civil society met in Casablanca last week to discuss religious discourse.

The conference was organised on May 21st by the Modernist Space for Development and Co-existence (EMDC).

Moroccan cleric Abou Hafs (Mohamed Abdelwahab Rafiki), who spent nine years in prison in connection with the May 16th, 2003 Casablanca bombings, was among the participants. Initially sentenced to 30 years in prison, the former salafist militant received a royal pardon in February 2012.
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Africa North
Morocco King Attends Prayers Led by Reformed Salafist
2014-03-29
[An Nahar] A reformed Moroccan Salafi-jihadist sheikh, placed in durance vile
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
 for life over the 2003 Casablanca bombings, led Friday prayers in the king's presence in Tangiers, a first since receiving a royal pardon in 2011.

King Mohammed VI freed scores of Moslem gunnies placed in durance vile
Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw!
 in connection with the Casablanca attacks after Arab Spring protests swept the country in 2011, among them four radical Salafist leaders including Mohammed Fizazi.

Rights activists and family members say hundreds more Islamists who have never supported any jihadist ideology remain behind bars.

The king took part in Friday prayers at Fizazi's mosque in Tangiers and spoke to him briefly afterwards, with the symbolic event broadcast live on state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
During his sermon, Fizazi praised the king for strengthening the security and stability of the country, which he said were needed to practise one's faith.

Once considered a leader of Morocco's Salafi-jihadist movement who became radicalized in the late 1990s, he also traveled and preached in Europe, notably at the Al-Quds mosque in Hamburg, which was frequented by key figures in the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Fizazi was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his "ideological" role in the 2003 suicide kabooms, which killed 33 people.

He condemned the Casablanca attacks during his trial and was freed eight years later after distancing himself from the hardline Islamist movement.
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Africa North
Morocco's king and the freed Salafis
2011-04-28
On April 14, King Mohammed VI pardoned or reduced the sentences of 190 prisoners, mainly Salafi jihadis — about one in 10 of the 2,000 or so people tried, sentenced and jailed after the 2003 Casablanca bombings. Among them was Mohamad Fizazi, who supported attacks on the West, and preached in Al Quds Mosque in Hamburg, with 9-11 terrorists in attendance.
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Africa North
Al Qaeda Seeking Revenge against Morocco — Anti Terrorism Expert
2011-01-07
[Asharq al-Aswat] Moroccan political analyst Dr. Mohamed Darif, who specializes in studying Islamist groups, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Moroccan authorities have dismantled dozens of terrorist cells since 2002 thanks to the pre-emptive security approach pursued by Morocco which had made it possible for the Moroccan authorities to foil a large number of these terrorist cells' plans.
Dr. Darif added that the continuous news in Morocco of terrorist plans being foiled and terrorist cells being dismantled can be explained by the logistical and technical abilities developed by the Moroccan security services, which has allowed Rabat to monitor the activities of such groups.

Answering a question about some people's suspicions about why so many terrorist cells have been uncovered in Morocco - with Rabat claiming to have dismantled as many as 70 terrorist cells since 2002 - Dr. Darif told Asharq Al-Awsat that the skeptics need only ask themselves one question, and that is: Is Morocco truly being targeted by Al Qaeda?"

Dr. Darif stressed that there are a number of reasons why Morocco would be targeted by Al Qaeda to this extent, not least of which is that Morocco is one of the few countries that has announced its full commitment to the global war on terror. Darif added that the ruler of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, was visiting Mauritania when 9/11 occured, however he cut short this visit and returned to Morocco where he announced that Rabat was fully committed to waging war against terrorism.

Dr. Mohamed Darif stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that ever since this time, Al Qaeda has had a vendetta against Morocco. He also added that we should not forget that one of Al Qaeda's leading commanders, Mohammed Haydar Zammar, was jugged by the Moroccan authorities in December 2001 and later handed over to Syria. Morocco was also known to have taken part in the controversial US "extraordinary rendition" program, with Guantanamo Bay detainees being rendered to Morocco, including senior member of Al Qaeda Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, who is accused of being a "key controller" for the 9/11 attacks, as well as former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed, who has subsequently spoken about the torture he suffered there.

Dr. Darif also told Asharq Al-Awsat that some people have said that the 16 May 2003 Casablanca bombings which resulted in the deaths of 45 people were planned by Al Qaeda -- and carried out by their affiliate organization Salafia Jihadia -- in retaliation for Moroccan security cooperation with the West, particularly the USA.

Further evidence of Morocco's commitment to combating terrorism, according to Darif, can be seen in the case of the two Moroccan embassy staff who were kidnapped in Iraq in 2005. Rabat completely refused to negotiate with Al Qaeda for their release, and in fact, the Moroccan Senior Council of Clerics which is headed by King Mohamed VI met [at this time] and issued a statement condemning Al Qaeda as an organization that has nothing to do with Islam.

Darif also indicated that when the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
... now known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb...
 changed its name to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in January 2007, it issued a statement threatening violence against Morocco if any officials appeared on satellite television to condemn them.

Darif also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Moroccan authorities' success in dismantling this huge number of terrorist cells is, most of all, due to the authorities' awareness that their country is being targeted, and has therefore sought to develop strong relations with security apparatus in western countries and the Arab world, particularly Soddy Arabia, Syria, and Jordan.

Darif also indicated that the majority of those jugged in Morocco do not belong to any single organization, for the jihadist salafist ideology is prevalent throughout Morocco. As a result of this, the Salafist jihadists who have been jugged by Morocco are of different trends, and vary in their attitudes towards the authorities which is something that has made it even more difficult for the Moroccan authorities to open a dialogue with them.

Darif added that the majority of cells that have been dismantled since 2005, such as al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, the Ansar al-Mahdi group, al-Murabatoon al-Judud, Fatah al-Andulus, and others, were also accused of trying to recruit fighters for Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Africa North
Morocco dismantles suspected terror cell
2010-06-22
[Al Arabiya Latest] Moroccan security services dismantled Monday a suspected Islamic extremist network headed by a Palestinian national, the interior ministry said.

The network of 11 members led by a Palestinian "planned to commit terrorist acts within the national territory," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the activists involved were Takfirists.

Islamist-linked violence is rare in Morocco, a staunch Western ally with a reputation for stability that has helped to entice millions of tourists to visit the country.

The last big attack was a series of suicide bombings in the economic capital, Casablanca, in 2003 which killed 45 people, and since then security services say they have rounded up more than 60 radical cells.

MAP quoted an Interior Ministry statement but gave no details of the planned attacks. However, it said the group had 11 members and that its members follow a radical, Jihadist strain of Islam.

The members of the group were in custody and would soon appear before a judge, the agency said.

The Moroccan government carried out mass arrests after the Casablanca bombings but in recent years has shifted to more targeted surveillance that security experts say has helped the government to prevent several planned attacks.

More than 1,000 Islamist militants are now held in Moroccan jails, many of them after trials described by defense lawyers and judicial reform campaigners as unfair and based on flimsy evidence.

The government insists only genuine criminals are imprisoned on solid information and after fair trials.

The Interior Ministry statement quoted by MAP said the men arrested for planning the attacks were Takfirie Jihadists.

This group, which is distinct from al Qaeda, usually targets government officials and secular intellectuals in the Muslim world rather than following the al Qaeda tactic of trying to attack foreign targets.
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Africa North
Morocco rejects dialogue with jailed Islamists
2010-03-19
[Maghrebia] The Moroccan government will not hold talks with jailed Islamists, Communications Minister and government spokesperson Khalid Naciri told Magharebia in an exclusive interview on Monday (March 15th).
"What part of '20 years' didn't you understand?"
Naciri told Magharebia that the Islamists' request for a reconciliation dialogue was "not on the government's agenda".

When many Islamist detainees arrested under the Terrorism Act recently released letters and statements disavowing their terrorist ideology and affiliation, they hoped to convince Moroccan authorities to accept their calls for dialogue.

Since the 2003 Casablanca bombings, Moroccan authorities have tracked down Islamist terrorists and arrested more than 1,000. The government's latest position may represent less flexibility than was evident last May, when then-minister of the interior, Chakib Benmoussa, said that there were are certain ways in which Salafia Jihadia prisoners could get out of jail -- including by royal pardon -- if they showed remorse and changed their thinking.

The most recent overture to imprisoned Islamists came in the form of a "Fairness Initiative" proposed by jailed Moroccan cleric Mohamed Abdelouahab Rafiki, also known as Abu Hafs. The letter containing the proposal was distributed by Forum for the Dignity of Human Rights in a press conference held last week.

The forum's head, Mustafa Ramid, said in a March 15th interview with Magharebia that the "initiative reflects the importance of the national interest, which means the necessity of opening the files of hundreds of prisoners".

"[I]n our opinion, even if there are terrorists amongst them, there are also innocent people who must be identified and released," said Ramid. "In addition, the government should review the cases of people who repented."

"Terrorism is not just a criminal behaviour; it's primarily an ideology, belief and conviction that must be abolished and defeated through dialogue," added the human rights leader. "The most important party qualified for dismantling terrorist thinking ... is the circle of Islamist prisoners."

In an interview with daily newspaper Ettajdid published on March 5th, Abu Hafs said: "We are a group of innocent people who are denying all accusations, and requesting to be released. We made mistakes and we admit it."
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Africa North
Kenitra jailbreak attempt foiled by guards
2010-03-11
[Maghrebia] Guards at Morocco's high-security Kenitra prison on Tuesday (March 9th) thwarted an attempted escape by ten convicted Salafia Jihadia terror cell members, MAP reported. The inmates reportedly planned to use the sewage system to reach the yard and then scale the wall by using ropes made of rugs and sheets.

In 2008, a jailbreak at the same prison attracted widespread attention from Maghreb bloggers. Nine Moroccans convicted for the deadly 2003 Casablanca bombings pulled off an unprecedented escape in a hand-dug tunnel some 25 metres long and 1 metre wide. All were later arrested.
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Britain
UK backs Islamists in battle to remove names from terror list
2010-01-19
The Government is secretly supporting an attempt by UK-based Islamists to have their names removed from an international terror blacklist

The seven men were placed on the United Nations list because they were suspected of having links with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. As a result they have been barred from leaving Britain and their assets have been frozen by the Bank of England and HM Treasury. They include individuals who were:

* convicted of involvement in the 2003 Casablanca bombings and of possessing terrorist documents in the UK,

* accused of assisting the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa and of being an associate of Osama bin Laden,

* found guilty by a military court of plotting terror attacks.

But an attempt by the men to have their names removed from the UN list has now won the backing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
The British Foreign Office have always had a thing for romantic Arab types. I imagine it drove Mr. Churchill mad when he was prime minister.
The FCO has insisted that it is acting because it has reviewed the men's cases and does not think they are dangerous. However, sources in Washington said the move by the British Government risked worsening relations between the US and UK at a time of heightened concern over security. The men are also named as suspected Islamist extremists on a US Treasury list barring them from travel to the United States.

Washington is unlikely to relish the prospect of removing a number of men classed as terror suspects by the UN from its own watch lists, or of having to unblock any financial assets the men may have in the States, as a result of diplomatic pressure by Britain. A US terrorism expert who has advised the American government said: "This action by the UK government will not go down well with the administration in Washington."

The individuals were placed on the UN list as the result of requests by their countries of origin, who claim to have identified them on the basis of secret intelligence or as a result of criminal investigations. However the men, who regard themselves as political dissidents, deny having links to terror groups and claim they were named in an attempt to discredit their opposition activities.

The FCO confirmed that following its own investigations it has submitted a request with the United Nations's sanctions committee for the men to be removed from the list and no longer to be subject to Terrorism (United Nations Measures) Order 2006 or the al-Qaeda and Taliban (United Nations Measures) Order 2006. The committee will have to agree unanimously for this to happen. A spokesman for the FCO said: "We have applied for these men to be delisted. A review of their designation has concluded they do not meet the criteria and are not associates of al-Qaeda and the Taliban."
That's a suspiciously narrow definition. What about Al Qaeda associate organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, or some of the others Fred listed yesterday?
The spokesman added: "We've submitted a delisting request with the sanctions committee of the UN, where we will be presenting our evidence, including intelligence-based evidence, to show these men should no longer be regarded as dangerous or as associates of al-Qaeda or the Taliban. We hope that if they come off the UN list they will also be taken off the US's own list."

At the same time the men -- who cannot be named for legal reasons --have taken HM Treasury to court in a bid to have the Terrorism Orders freezing their assets revoked. In a number of cases currently before the UK Supreme Court the men are seeking to have the orders, issued by the Treasury on behalf of the UN, ruled unlawful on the grounds that they "restrict fundamental human rights without the express authorisation of Parliament".

Among the men backed by the Foreign Office is a doctor who fled to London in the 1990s and became involved with a group opposed to one of the regimes in the Middle East. He is accused by the US Treasury of providing assistance to the al-Qaeda bombers who destroyed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 230 people, and of being an associate of Osama bin Laden. Both his and his group's assets have since been frozen. He denies the accusations and says his group is committed to peaceful means.
Let's start with a definition of peaceful, and move on to what the group has been applying their peaceful means.
Another has been living in Britain since the mid-1990s after a court in his country of origin convicted him in his absence of planning terrorist attacks.

A number of individuals linked with a group opposed to the regime of Colonel Gaddafi, are also being supported by the FCO in their attempts to be removed from the UN list. The group is accused by the UN of links to al-Qaeda and involvement in the Casablanca bombings in 2003 and the 2004 Madrid train bombings. They include one who was convicted by a Moroccan court of involvement in the Casablanca bombings, which killed over 40 people and injured another 100. He also pleaded guilty in a UK court to possessing documents likely to be useful in preparing an act of terrorism. Another was described by the US Treasury as key financier for the group.
Didn't Laurence of Arabia do things like that?
However, one of the group on the UN list said: "The only reason we are on UN and US lists is because the Libyan government has wrongly alleged to the UN that we are terrorists. But we have never made any threat against either the UK or the US. We do not have any links with al-Qaeda."

The list also names a man in his 50s, wanted by Interpol after being accused of raising funds for terror groups linked to Osama bin Laden. The man's solicitor said he denied the accusations.

Critics of the system of Terrorism Orders have condemned the fact they were introduced by the Government through 'orders in council' rather than by legislation debated in Parliament. Further, they claim the UN is forcing the UK authorities to impose draconian restrictions on individuals.

Eric Metcalfe, of the legal reform group Justice, said: "Of course it's right we take measures against people who finance or assist terrorists, but this should be done through prosecutions in the criminal courts. As it is individuals are being listed as associates of al-Qaeda or the Taliban on suspicion alone, with no opportunity to clear their name. In some cases the UK government doesn't even have access to the information used to justify their inclusion on the list."

But Mr Simcox said: "One of the men that the FCO is trying to defend is a convicted terrorist here in the UK and has been convicted abroad for his involvement in the slaughter of over 40 Moroccan civilians. Another is the former leader of a Jihad group which is now part of al-Qaeda, and who celebrated the 7/7 bombings. The UK should be concentrating on cracking down on all Jihadi outfits, rather than focusing its attention on defending convicted terrorists."
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Africa North
Casablanca prisoners end hunger strike
2010-01-07
[Maghrebia] Prisoners held on terrorism charges in Casablanca ended their 42-day hunger strike on Monday (January 4th), after guards and prison administration agreed to initiate a dialogue on why certain prison privileges had been revoked.

The hunger strike was sparked on November 23rd, when Okasha Prison authorities searched the prisoners' cells and all the items brought to the prison by the inmates' families.

The prisoners began striking on November 24th following the search and the "unprecedented" seizure of their personal belongings, according to Abdel Rahim Mahtad, who defends the human rights of terrorism suspects through the Nasir Association for the Defence of Islamic Detainees.

However, one prisoner is continuing to refuse food. Sheikh Hassan Kettani maintains he is innocent and that he has been unjustly incarcerated. Kettani, a formerly prominent preacher, is serving 20 years after his conviction for inciting the perpetrators of the 2003 Casablanca bombings.

The strike is the latest development in Morocco's ongoing struggle to balance human rights and security.

Moroccan authorities admitted in 2005 that abuses were committed during the systematic roundup of suspects following the Casablanca bombings. The broad sweep for potential suspects drew criticism from human rights organisations such as the Forum for the Dignity of Human Rights.

"Many people who were arrested in the crackdown by Moroccan security authorities after the terrorist incidents were not connected to these incidents, and it's wrong that they remain in prison," said the forum's president, Mustafa Ramid.

Ramid said that prisoners lawfully convicted of terrorist activity should "serve their sentences". However, he said that prisoners who simply flirted with takfirism but never acted on it deserve special consideration.

"We believe a dialogue should be initiated with them to examine their previous positions," Ramid said.

Moroccan authorities maintain that the widespread arrests were necessary.

"Moroccan security had no choice but to make precautionary arrests," an anonymous security source told Magharebia. "Many people were arrested because of their apparent sympathy with terrorist groups and their being influenced by takfirism and jihadism. They could, at any moment, move from passive sympathy to action. This is what Moroccan security did not allow to happen" by arresting thousands after the bombing.

Morocco gradually improved conditions for the prisoners, even granting 350 of those convicted of terrorism a royal pardon with unconditional release in 2005 and 2006. Over 1,000 Salafi jihadist detainees came to enjoy more privileges within prisons in Casablanca and Kenitra.

A March 2008 attempt by jihadist prisoners to escape Kenitra Prison, however, resulted in stricter rules for prisoners, and many of their privileges were rescinded.
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Africa North
Morocco sentences terrorists for Kenitra prison escape
2009-09-12
[Maghrebia] A Sale court on Thursday (September 10th) handed down sentences ranging from 18 months to 10 years for six convicted terrorists who escaped Kenitra prison, and two who helped the escapees, in April 2008, MAP reported. The two defendants who sheltered the escapees were sentenced to 18 months each, while another was acquitted. Charges against a ninth defendant were dropped after his death. The escapees were convicted of terrorist activity for the 2003 Casablanca bombings, which killed 45 people.
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Africa North
Morocco jails Madrid plotter for Casablanca bombs
2009-03-03
A Moroccan man linked to the 2004 Madrid bomb attacks was jailed for 10 years by an appeals court on Monday for his role in the 2003 Casablanca suicide bomb attacks that killed 45 people, the state news agency MAP reported. The court found Hassan el Haski guilty of "setting up a criminal gang to carry out terrorist attacks with the aim of undermining public order through terror and violence," according to MAP.

" It's an unfair verdict, the appeals process was summary "
Khalil El Idrissi
His sentencing on appeal Monday comes less than four weeks after he was acquitted by Morocco's anti-terrorist tribunal and was met with an angry response from his lawyer. "It's an unfair verdict, the appeals process was summary," said Khalil El Idrissi.

Al Haski is not the first person to be probed in connection with both Madrid and Casablanca bombings. Another Moroccan suspect in the 2004 Madrid bombings, Saad Housseini, was given a 15-year jail sentence last week by a Rabat court for his role in the Casablanca attacks

Haski, 41, was extradited to Morocco from Spain, where he was already serving a 13-year-jail term for leading an armed group involved in the Madrid train bombings which killed 191 people. Moroccan lawyers said Haski would serve the sentence imposed in Morocco and then be extradited to Spain to complete his 13-year-sentence there.

Housseini, a chemistry graduate, was suspected of having made the Madrid bombs.

Originally from the Moroccan city of Meknes, he visited Afghanistan in 2002. He was questioned by police upon his return that same year and released without charge.
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Africa North
Morocco acquits convicted Madrid bomber of 2003 Casablanca bombings
2009-02-07
A Moroccan appeals court acquitted Hassan El-Haski on Thursday (February 5th) of involvement in the 2003 Casablanca bombings, MAP and international press reported. El-Haski is currently serving a 13-year jail sentence in Spain for involvement in the March 2004 Madrid bombings. In September, Spanish authorities approved El-Haski's temporary extradition to Morocco to be tried for the Casablanca terrorist bombings.
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