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| Europe | |
| Spain holds man over al-Qaeda funding | |
| 2010-09-29 | |
| SPANISH police have arrested an Algerian-born US citizen suspected of raising funds for al-Qaeda's north African branch, the interior ministry confirmed tonight. Mohamed Omar Debhi was detained yesterday in Barcelona "over his alleged links to international terrorism," the ministry said in a statement. Debhi, 43, a US citizen of Algerian origin who lived in Barcelona, is suspected of "terrorist financing of the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb" as well as fraud and forgery. It said he had sent more than 60,000 euros ($A84,000) by bank transfer or human couriers to an Algerian citizen in the north African country, Toufik Mizi. Mizi fled Spain in 2006 after Spanish police dismantled a radical Islamic cell involved in funding AQIM. He is wanted in Spain for terrorist offences. Debhi and Tizi were involved in laundering the money sent to Algeria through fake companies, the ministry said. The funds were used to to buy materials for AQIM "terrorist activities." AQIM carries out attacks and kidnappings in a vast area encompassing parts of Mauritania, Algeria, Mali and Niger. Last month it freed two Spanish hostages held in Mali for nine months, reportedly after a ransom of around eight million euros ($A11.2 million) had been paid and a senior militant released from jail in Mali. In July it claimed responsibility for the execution of a French hostage, Michael Germaneau, 78, who was kidnapped in Niger in April before being transferred to Mali.
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| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 Ooooooh, that's very good to know, Lumpy Elmoluck5091! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-09-29 23:34 |
| #1 Debhi once lived in Katy, Texas. Police seized three computers, hard drives banking and other documents--happy hunting! |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2010-09-29 09:18 |