After he settled in Montreal from his native Tunisia in the 1990s, Abderraouf Jdey appeared outwardly to be successful, obtaining a university degree and gaining Canadian citizenship. But in his heart, he seethed at his inability to find a proper job in Canada. Resenting the Western world, the Americans, the Jews, he found solace in the extremist ideology of al-Qaeda. A peek into the embittered mind of one of the world's most wanted terrorism suspects can be found in two declassified letters said to have been written by Mr. Jdey that are posted on the website of a U.S. counterterrorism centre.The letters are from the so-called Harmony database, a collection of al-Qaeda documents seized by U.S. forces. Starting in 2005, some have been declassified and analyzed by the Combating Terrorism Center, a branch of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. "Like other revolutionary ideologies that have emerged throughout history, the idea of al-Qaeda ... has considerable appeal for those alienated by the penetration of global capitalism or those who feel victimized by corrupt, indifferent rulers," the Center said in a report stemming from the documents. "The importance of al-Qaeda's myth-making machinery cannot be underestimated."
Mr. Jdey, whose name is also transliterated as al-Jiddi or al-Jaddi, is 43 and is also known as Farouq al-Tunisi. He obtained Canadian citizenship in 1995. The U.S. government posted a $5-million reward for his capture after a martyrdom letter and video messages from him were found in the Kabul home of Osama bin Laden's military lieutenant.
The Jdey letters were posted last fall, but have attracted little attention. The first of the letters posted by the West Point centre is undated and addressed to fellow Muslims. In it, Mr. Jdey railed about "the Jewish media" and the failure of Western-educated Arab politicians to lift their countries out of post-colonial poverty. "Thank Allah for saving me and guiding me on the right path," he wrote. "I found incomparable blessings and peace, especially after I joined jihad."
He was also soured by his difficulties in the job market, a common occurrence among North African newcomers to Quebec. "When I arrived in Canada, I searched for work. I found many job opportunities, but the most important were closed. Others were dirty jobs reserved for immigrants," he wrote. "The social and economical life in North America is a jungle governed by ferocious beasts, represented by Jews and their allies." Mr. Jdey came to Canada as an immigrant. The letter says he lived in Canada starting in December of 1991, even though Canadian immigration records say he arrived in Montreal in April. The letter also says he enrolled in geology at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
The second letter, also addressed to his Muslim "brothers," dates from December, 1999. On the Arabic-language original, a handwritten note in English can be seen, presumably by a U.S. analyst. "Very inflammatory and hatred letter [sic] needs further translation," it said. In the document, Mr. Jdey tried to explain how he became a prospective jihadist. "After reviewing the materialistic infidel Western intellect, and Arab secular experiments and other ideologies and ideas, I realized that Islam is the right ideology for mankind. I travelled a long way to reach this conclusion." He added: "I pledged to Allah not to abandon the cause of jihad, and to sacrifice myself for the Almighty Allah."
Muslims have always been targeted by "the Jews, the Crusaders and their allies," he wrote. "They meet in their laboratories (United Nations and black house of America [White House] and others), to cook their poisonous plans." He quoted Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Egyptian-born cleric serving a life sentence in the United States for conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bomb attack, urging other Muslims to attack Americans and their allies. "Destroy their economy, burn their companies, destroy their interests, sink their ships, shoot down their airplanes, kill them on the ground, on the sea and in the air."
The report of the U.S. commission probing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks says Mr. Jdey was to be part of a second wave of suicide hijackings, but backed out. He is believed to have left Canada in November of 2001.