Abu Doha

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Amar Makhlulif alias Abu Doha (Arabic: ابو ضحى‎) is an Algerian alleged to be member of the al-Qaeda and GSPC terrorist networks. He was arrested at Heathrow in February of 2001 while attempting to travel to Jeddah on a forged passport.[1][2]

Makhlulif is wanted in France[2] for being one of the masterminds of the Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot. Another plotter, Slimane Khalfaoui, was picked up in the UK and extradicted to France, where he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.[3] Four more of Abu Doha's affiliates have been sentenced in Germany to terms of from 10 to 12 years for that plot.[4] In reading the sentence, the judge said that Abu Doha had exhorted them to commit that attack.

Makhlulif is wanted in the United States, having been identified by Ahmed Ressam as the leader of the plot to bomb the Los Angeles airport during Christmas and millennium celebrations.[1][2]

Makhlulif is wanted in Italy over a plot to bomb the American embassy in Rome, in collaboration with al-Qaeda's Milan cell.[2]

As of November 2006 Makhlulif is still in Belmarsh prison while the British government seeks permission from the British courts to return him to native Algeria on an immigration violation.[5]

Makhlulif is alleged to have been an Al-Qaeda recruiter, and a trainer at, or even the founder of, al-Qaeda's Khalden training camp in Afghanistan[6], and at least a cell leader in GSPC. Makhlulif is described in some reports[7][8] as the "paymaster" of al-Qaeda's London component.

"Makhlulif" is the name by which this person identifies himself to British immigration authorities.[1] It could be a false name or an erroneous transliteration of مخلوف, which is pronounced more like "Makhlouf". Two press reports (here at BBC Arabic News and here at Asharq Alawsat) do refer to Abu Doha as Amar Makhlouf.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c US indictment of Abu Doha, 2 July 2001
  2. ^ a b c d 'Architect of terror' held in British jail cell, The Telegraph, 9 January 2003
  3. ^ France Convicts Islamic Militants, AP, 16 December 2004
  4. ^ Germany Sends 4 To Prison In New Year's Plot, SITE, quoting Chicago Tribune, 11 March 2003
  5. ^ Millenium bomb-plot suspect still in British legal limbo, Associated Press, 1 November 2006
  6. ^ Abu Doha, MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base
  7. ^ Al-Qaeda's bombers used Britain to plot slaughter, The Guardian, 21 April 2002
  8. ^ Advanced Knowledge Integration In Assessing Terrorist Threats, Air War College, US Air Force; an academic study of al-Qaeda in Europe