Karim el-Mejjati
Abdelkrim Thami Driss el-Mejjatiعبد الكريم المجاطي | |
---|---|
Fatiha Mohamed Taher Housni el-Mejjati[3] | |
Karim Thami el-Mejjati[4] (October 30, 1967 – April 2005) was a Moroccan-French[5] convicted terrorist who has been claimed to have aided the Riyadh compound bombings, the 2003 Casablanca bombings, the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 London bombings as member of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group.[6][7]
He was killed, along with his 11-year-old son, by Saudi authorities in a series of raids in April 2005. His wife maintains that he was not connected to all the attacks but insinuates that he had arranged attacks against Saudi Arabia, provoking their anger.[3]
Life
A
On September 25, 1991, he married a Tunisian-American named Fatiha, who was seven years older than he was and had been dismissed from her job at the Casablanca
By 1992, he'd returned to France and begun selling Moroccan handicrafts to support his desire to travel and volunteer as a Bosnian mujahideen.[11][13] After one tour in Bosnia, he returned to bring his wife back to the Balkans with him, but was stymied by Germany's refusal to grant a visa.[13] Returning alone, he was arrested for a month by Croatian forces, before being released at the request of the French government, although he was forbidden to return to Bosnia for five years.[13]
Upon returning to Morocco, he rented a two-room apartment and began wearing Afghan clothing and a long beard. When women visited, he and his male friends would sleep in their cars parked on the street, while the women slept inside.[8] Neighbours later recalled that he once loudly berated a couple for their public display of affection.[8]
In early 1994, he traveled to
Around this time, his wife was diagnosed with cancer.[3] He maintained a relationship with Yusuf Fikri, leader of the Takfir wal-Hijra.[2]
In 1996, he took a second wife at the urging of his wife, the Belgian Fatihah al-Hawshy who lived in England and was a friend of his wife.[3][14]
Around 1997, he traveled to New Jersey on the invitation of a friend for several months.[13] It was one of two visits he made to the United States prior to 1999.[1] He later listed the address of a New York City bookseller, Abdulrahman Farhane, as his own - later entered as evidence against Farhane following accusations he financially supported terrorism.[15]
While American authorities claimed he hadn't entered the country since 1999, Saudi media reported that he traveled back to the United States with al-Hawshy, his second wife, in 2000 and dropped her off there while he traveled to Pakistan.[14]
In July 2001, el-Mejjati and his wife determined to leave Morocco permanently, and flew to Spain for two weeks while awaiting their entry visa to Iran. When Italy declined their request for travel documents, they flew out of Frankfurt instead. After landing in Tehran, they crossed the border into Afghanistan the following day.[13] He traveled to Kandahar, ostensibly to seek out Osama bin Laden even though he had no intentions of joining al-Qaeda, but was disappointed to discover the militant leader had already left the city.[13] He later managed to see both bin Laden and Mullah Omar.[3]
Following the
Entry into militant plots
After moving to Riyadh, el-Mejjati agreed to allow
On March 23, 2003, his wife and 10-year-old son Ilyass left the city to try to reach an
After his wife's arrest, he is believed to have fallen in with the
Days before the May 16 attack in Casablanca, el-Mejjati is believed to have fled to Spain.[4][8] Arguments that he had dressed as a woman to travel unnoticed were rebuffed by his wife who pointed out he stood 6'4".[3]
On June 20, 2003, when it was discovered that al-Juhani had been among the men killed in the Riyadh compound bombings, Saudi Arabia transferred el-Mejjati's wife and son to Moroccan custody, flying them on a private jet through Cairo into Morocco.[3]
In September 2003, the FBI issued an alert for four people they alleged "pose a threat to U.S. citizens", including
While in Spain, el-Mejjati became associated with Jamal Zougam, who had helped construct the bombs, leading to the suggestion that he had been involved in the March 11 Madrid bombings.[18]
In December 2003, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in absentia by a Moroccan court, for his role in the Casablanca bombings.[17]
On March 17, 2004, his wife and son were released from prison.
Death
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Mejjatidead.jpg)
El-Mejjati, as well as his 11-year-old son, Adam, and the leader of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia
El-Mejjati was survived by his wife and 12-year-old son Ilyass.[3] A friend of the family had phoned to tell her that he had just heard a report that el-Mejjati had been killed on the television, to which she replied "Alhamdulillah".[3] She then wrote to the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, and its Saudi counterpart, to ask them to positively confirm the identity of her husband and son through DNA testing, with which they complied.[3][26] She sought permission to travel to Saudi Arabia to claim the body of her husband and son for proper burial, and proposed traveling with his second wife, stating that she could not find closure until she had seen the bodies herself.[3]
Aftermath
Following his death, his wife gave an interview to
Later analysts suggested that he was closely tied to
References
- ^ a b c "FBI Seeking Information alert". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on October 8, 2003. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
- ^ a b c d Stevens, Robert. Associated Press, "Confusion reigns in the Kingdom", July 2, 2004
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Youssef Chmirou (2005-05-30). "My husband was not a terrorist, but a Mujahid". La Gazette du Maroc. Archived from the original on 2006-05-29. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
- ^ a b Le Monde, Un Franco-Marocain suspecte dans les attentats de Casablanca et Madrid, March 25, 2004
- ^ Yahoo News, "Saudi confirms death of top Al-Qaeda pair in gunbattle", April 10, 2005
- ^
"Spain Charges Two More in Bombings". Morning Sentinel. Madrid. March 30, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-04-22. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
The Spanish radio station Cadena Ser and the newspaper ABC have reported that Moroccan authorities believe a 36-year-old Moroccan named Abdelkrim Mejjati may have been the on-the-ground organizer of the Madrid attacks. Both outlets quoted Moroccan intelligence sources as saying Mejjati was in Madrid three days before the bombings.
- ^ a b
"Al Qaeda's Possible Hidden Operative". Stratfor. 2005-05-03. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
Although al-Majati was not directly connected to the March 11, 2004, Madrid train bombings, European investigators say he trained in the Afghan camps in the 1990s, where he met Amer el-Azizi, a Moroccan wanted by Spanish authorities for his part in that attack.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k
Craig Whitlock (2005-05-01). "Odyssey of an Al Qaeda Operative: Moroccan's Trail of Terror Illustrates Ongoing Ability to Organize Attacks". from the original on 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
Less than a week later, about 3,000 miles away, suicide bombers trained by Mejjati carried out the deadliest terrorist attacks in Moroccan history, killing 45 people in Casablanca.
- ^ a b al-Zaydi, Mshari. The World According to Fatihah, June 22, 2005
- ^ a b Reuters, "Spain probes Morocco link, press names FBI suspect"
- ^ SABC News, "Danger man started life as a fan of Americans", April 2, 2004
- ^ Al-Arabiya, عاشق السينما الأمريكية الذي صار إرهابيا هاربا, November 1, 2004
- ^ , June 17, 2005
- ^ a b Al-Riyadh, مصادر أمنية مغربية تبدي ارتياحها لسقوط المجاطي الحلقة المفقودة في تفجيرات الدار البيضاء الإرهابية, July 28, 2005
- , February 11, 2006
- ^ a b Al-Sharq al-Awsat, "Women, Children, and Terrorism", July 15, 2005
- ^ a b Tefft, Bruce. "Mastermind of Spain bombings dies after shootout in north Saudi town", April 18, 2005
- ^ a b El Periodico, "El Marroc identifica el presumpte cervell de la massacre de Madrid", March 28, 2004
- ^ CNN, FBI seeks 4 suspected of terrorist activities, September 2003
- ^ Dodd, Vikram. The Guardian, Investigators examine video for al-Qaida link to bomb attacks, September 3, 2005
- ^ Reuters, "Probe seeks Saudi link to London bombers", 7 August 2005
- ^ Spain issues warrants for 5 in relation to the Madrid bombings, BBC Arabic, 31 March 2004
- ^ BBC, Saudi battle kills top suspects, April 5, 2005
- ^ Arab News, Death of Top Terrorists in Al-Rass Gunbattle Confirmed, April 10, 2005
- ^ Death of Top Terrorists in Al-Rass Gunbattle Confirmed, Arab News, 10 April 2005
- ^
"Saudis: Al Qaeda 'big fish' killed". CNN. 2005-04-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
DNA tests are being conducted to determine whether two of the bodies are those of Saud Humud al-Utaibi and Abd al-Karim el-Mejjati, two of the most-wanted al Qaeda suspects in the kingdom.
- YouTube, January 21, 2006
- ^
Souad Mekhennet, Joby Warrick (2017-11-26). "The jihadist plan to use women to launch the next incarnation of ISIS". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-03-05.]
Mejjati's reputation as a harsh enforcer of the group's legal codes is supported by multiple witnesses and court documents that describe floggings of women suspected of breaking the rules.
[dead link - Air War College, 2005. p. 26
- ^ The Center for Policing Terrorism, Analysis: May 16, 2003 Suicide Bombings in Casablanca, Morocco
- ^ Bright, Martin. The Observer, "Saudis warned UK of London attacks", August 7, 2005
- ^ Bright, Martin. New Statesman, "What did the Saudis know about 7/7?", November 1, 2007