Abu Dahdah
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Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas alias Abu Dahdah (Arabic: أبو الدحداح ) is a Syrian-born Spaniard now serving a 27-year sentence in Spain for his part in the September 11, 2001 attacks and for his membership in the banned terrorist organization al-Qaeda. He is thought to have been a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda's Madrid component.
Some reports said that Yarkas's phone number was found in a Hamburg apartment rented by lead hijacker Mohamed Atta al-Sayed, while others say he was mentioned by name in a diary seized by police in a search of an anonymous apartment[1], or that his passport had been seized in a raid on London Imam Omar Abu Omar's residence[2].
He is said to have visited Indonesia and Malaysia in the years prior to the attacks, while he was under watch of Spanish authorities.
Dahdah was one of 11 people arrested on November 19th 2001, and charged with fundraising for Al-Qaeda operatives, and his alleged role in convincing youths to attend camps in Afghanistan, camps run by his associates Anwar Adnan Mohamed Salah and Mustafa Setmariam Nasar. He was also said to lead the group Soldiers of Allah, which included Abdulla Khayata, Osama Darra, Jasem Mahboule, Mohamed Needl, Mohamed Zaher, José Luis Galán, Sadik Meriziak, Abdulaziz Benyaich, Najib Chaib, Hassan Al Hussein, and Mohamed Ghaleb Kalaje. His trial began April 22nd, and Dahdah pled not guilty, maintaining his innocence.
Although prosecutor Pedro Rubira had sought 74,337 years imprisonment, Dahdah was sentenced to 15 years for conspiracy to commit terrorist murders, and another 12 years for leading a terrorist organization, the sentences to be served consecutively.
While serving his third year in prison, Dahdah was accused by intelligence officer Rafael Gomez Menor who reported to the Spanish parliament that the Madrid train bombings in 2004 had been "Abu Dahdah, without any doubt". It was alleged that he helped direct the operations during prison visits from Walid al-Masri.
[edit] External links
- Photograph of Abu Dahdah during his trial, at USA Today
- "Mugshot" of Abu Dahdah, at El Mundo.
