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Europe

Madrid attack 'mastermind' charged

2004-12-21

A MOROCCAN man has been charged with offences relating to terrorism and mass killing for allegedly helping plan the March 11 Madrid train bombings in Spain. The suspected mastermind of a terrorist cell recently dismantled by Spanish police was remanded in custody today for his alleged role in the March 11 train atrocity in Madrid, judicial sources said. Hassan El Haski, 41, suspected of being the head of the Islamic Group of Moroccan Fighters which has links with al Qaeda, is accused of belonging to a terrorist organisation and of playing a role in the attacks in which 191 people died. "He is alleged to have taken part in the planning and preparation of the attacks and is suspected of playing an active role in their execution," a statement by judge Juan del Olmo said. El Haski rejects the charges against him and denies belonging to a terrorist group. He was later questioned by Spain's senior anti-terrorist judge Baltasar Garzon in connection with the attacks in the Moroccan city of Casablanca in May 2003 in which 45 people died. He was also quizzed on the murder of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in Amsterdam on November 2, the sources said. El Haski was one of four Moroccans arrested in the Canary Islands on Friday. Investigators said the group was about to set up a logistical base in the archipelago, situated off the coast of northwest Africa. The others arrested on the island of Lanzarote were the imam of the village of Puerto del Carmen, Abdallah Mourib; Ali Fahimi, aged 31, and Brahim Atia El Hammouchi, aged 40.

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Europe

Islamic suspect 'linked to film director's murder'

2004-12-20

Spanish police suspect that one of four Moroccans arrested in the Canary Islands is a leader of a Moroccan Islamic group that is believed to have ties to Al-Qaeda, it was reported. Hassan El Haski, 41, who was wanted for his suspected role in the 11 March attacks on commuter trains in the Spanish capital which left 191 people dead, was believed by Spanish police to be "the head at the European level" of the Islamic Group of Moroccan Fighters, the Spanish daily El Mundo reported. The group was founded in the 1990s by Moroccans who had fought the former Soviet-installed regime in Afghanistan. Another Spanish daily, ABC, said he was also suspected of being behind the murder of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh on 2 November in Amsterdam. It said police in the Netherlands "have informed the Spanish police of its suspicions that he could be the person who ordered or planned the attack". The four Moroccans were arrested on Friday on suspicion of membership of a radical Islamic group. Investigators said the group was about to set up a logistical base in the archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa. It is believed to be part of the extremist Jihad Salafist Movement and to have ties to Osama bin Laden''s Al-Qaeda network, they added. The others arrested on the island of Lanzarote were the imam of the village of Puerto del Carmen, Abdallah Mourib, Ali Fahimi, 31, and Brahim Atia El Hammouchi, 40. Haski, who was born in Guelmin, Morocco, has been under investigation for his suspected ties to the Islamic Group of Moroccan Fighters, which is suspected of having carried out bomb attacks in Casablanca in May last year that killed 45 people. El Haski was transferred to Madrid late on Saturday in a military plane, with his three suspected accomplices. The four were expected to appear in Spain''s highest court on Monday. El Mundo said that his arrest came after a tip-off from French intelligence that a "potentially very dangerous" Islamic extremist was on the Canary Islands. Nice work and co-operation from French intelligence. And El Haski, send our regards to Judge Garzon.

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Europe

More on the Spanish arrests

2004-12-19

Spanish authorities have arrested four Moroccans on suspicion of membership of a radical Islamic group on the Canary Islands, the interior ministry said Saturday. One of the suspects, who are believed to be members of the Islamic Group of Moroccan Fighters, was wanted for a possible link to the Madrid train bombings in March. Investigators said the group was about to set up a logistical base in the archipelago off the coast of northwest Africa. It is believed to be part of the extremist Jihad Salafist Movement and to have ties to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, they added. Among those arrested on the island of Lanzarote were the imam of the village of Puerto del Carmen, Abdallah Mourib, as well as Hassan El Haski, 41, who was wanted for his suspected role in the March 11 attacks on commuter trains in the Spanish capital which left 191 people dead and some 1,900 wounded. Haski, who was born in Guelmin, Morocco, has been under investigation for his suspected ties to the Islamic Group of Moroccan Fighters which is believed to have carried out bomb attacks in Casablanca in May last year that killed 45 people. The interior ministry said Haski managed to flee when Belgium and France cracked Islamist networks in their countries. He is believed to have given orders to Mourib, 36, and Ali Fahimi, 31, another suspect who was among those arrested in Lanzarote and detained at Playa Blanca-Yaiza. The fourth suspect, who was also detained at Playa Blanca-Yaiza, was identified as Brahim Atia El Hammouchi, 40. Police said the group made several trips to Europe, notably Belgium and the Netherlands, but always returned to the Canary Islands where they felt safe after the arrests made in Belgium and France.

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