AN ENDURING THREAT: EUROPE’S ISLAMIST TERROR NETWORKS THEN AND NOW 966 2.7 Abu Doha Network 967 968 ABU DOHA aka Hider Hanani, aka Amar Makhlulif, aka Didier Ajuelos, aka ‘The Doctor’ Role: 969 Al-Qaeda-linked recruiter and alleged plot mastermind and financier linked to the ‘Millennium 970 971 bomb’ plot at Los Angeles Airport; the Strasbourg Market bomb plot; and a plot to bomb the US 972 Embassy in Rome. Bio: 973 974 Doha, who was born in Algeria in 1963, came to Britain in 1994 from France and claimed asylum 975 976 before settling in Islington, North London, where he became associated with Finsbury Park Mosque. 977 Using the mosque, he allegedly operated as al-Qaeda’s “chief recruiter in Europe” and created “one of 978 the most significant groups of terrorists in the United Kingdom”. Doha travelled to Afghanistan in 1996, 979 where he is said helped to run Khalden training camp, established by al-Qaeda in 1998. During this 980 time it is claimed he met Osama bin Laden in Kandahar to discuss collaboration between their networks. 981 He returned to Britain after three years, and in June 2000 his application for asylum was rejected. During 982 this time he is alleged to have conspired with Ahmed Ressam to bomb LAX airport in Los Angeles and to have been in contact with the Strasbourg cell, who contacted him to request more fund in December 983 984 2000. Doha was arrested and imprisoned in March 2001 while trying to travel to Saudi Arabia on a 985 false passport. While the charges were dropped in May, he continued to be held over accusations he 986 had breached his admission conditions. In August 2001, Doha was indicted in the US in connection with Ressam’s plot after Ressam claimed he had overseen the operation. Once the US had requested that Doha be extradited, other countries who claimed to have evidence connecting him to terror plots including France, Grammy and Italy dropped their own requests. In 2003, Ressam stopped cooperating with US authorities, leading the US charges to ! ! 966 We cite the existence of this network after drawing together information from multiple law enforcement and journalistic sources, including a British judge who said Doha had developed “one of the most significant groups of terrorists in the United Kingdom” (see O’Neill, S., ‘Immigration powers used to hold al-Qaeda kingpin in jail’, The Times, 20 October 2006), a former head of the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST) who said Doha was “al-Qaeda’s main recruiting sergeant in Europe”, and the journalists Sean O’Neill and Daniel McGrory, who have described Doha as “the ‘principle catalyst’ in setting up a network of North African Islamist terrorists in the UK” (see O’Neill, S. and Daniel McGrory, The Suicide Factory: Abu Hamza and the Finsbury Park Mosque (London: Harper Collins, 2006), pg. 116). 967 ‘Terror suspect held for seven years without charge in British prison’, Birmingham Mail, 3 January 2009, available at: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/terror-suspect-held-for-seven-years-237565, last visited: 9 August 2016. 968 Meyer, J., ‘Alleged Mastermind in LAX Bomb Plot Indicted’, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 2001, available at: http://articles.latimes.com/2001/aug/29/news/mn-39692, last visited: 9 August 2016. 969 Crumley, B., ‘The Terror Suspect Who May Go Free’, Time, 30 October 2006, available at: http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1552218,00.html, last visited: 9 August 2016. 970 Meyer, J., ‘Alleged Mastermind in LAX Bomb Plot Indicted’, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 2001. 971 Crewdson, J., ‘Germany sends 4 to prison in New Year's plot’, Chicago Tribune, 11 March 2003, available at: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-03- 11/news/0303110303_1_al-qaeda-bombing-plot-terror-network, last visited: 9 August 2016. 972 Lashmar, P., ‘Ricin 'made for use in random killing spree', Independent, 12 January 2003, available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ricin-made- for-use-in-random-killing-spree-123981.html, last visited: 9 August 2016. 973 Burns, J., ‘2nd Terror Suspect Released in Britain’, International New York Times, 4 July 2008. 974 Gardham, D., ‘Terrorist 'linked to Osama bin Laden' released on bail’, The Telegraph, 3 July 2008, available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2240804/Terrorist-linked-to-Osama-bin-Laden-released-on-bail.html, last visited: 9 August 2016. 975 O’Neill, S., ‘Immigration powers used to hold al-Qaeda kingpin in jail’, The Times, 20 October 2006, available at: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article1876009.ece, last visited: 9 August 2016. 976 Burrell, I. and John Lichfield, ‘Warning signs of Algerian terror cells as early as 1994’, Independent, 16 January 2003; and O’Neill, S., ‘Immigration powers used to hold al-Qaeda kingpin in jail’, The Times, 20 October 2006. 977 Norton-Taylor, R., ‘Algerian detainee deported to France for alleged terror links’, Guardian, 16 September 2006, available at: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/sep/16/france.politics, last visited: 9 August 2016. 978 O’Neill, S., ‘Immigration powers used to hold al-Qaeda kingpin in jail’, The Times, 20 October 2006. 979 Gardham, D., ‘Terrorist 'linked to Osama bin Laden', released on bail’, The Telegraph, 3 July 2008. 980 Hooper, J., ‘Al-Qaida cell in UK 'planned attack'’, Guardian, 26 October 2001, available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/oct/26/afghanistan.world1, last visited: 9 August 2016. 981 Gardham, D., ‘Terrorist 'linked to Osama bin Laden', released on bail’, The Telegraph, 3 July 2008. 982 Meyer, J., ‘Alleged Mastermind in LAX Bomb Plot Indicted’, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 2001. 983 Crewdson, J., ‘Germany sends 4 to prison in New Year's plot’, Chicago Tribune, 11 March 2003. 984 Anonymised SIAC judgement, available on request. 985 Burns, J., ‘2nd Terror Suspect Released in Britain’, International New York Times, 4 July 2008. 986 Anonymised SIAC judgement, available on request. ! ! 78 !