Abu Talb

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Mohammed Abu Talb (Arabic: محمد أبو طلب‎, born 27 June 1954) is an Egyptian-born terrorist currently serving a life sentence in Sweden after having been convicted in relation to a series of bombings in Copenhagen and Amsterdam in 1985. He has also been investigated in connection to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. He serves his sentence at the Hall Prison in Södertälje.

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[edit] Background

Talb was born in Port Said in Egypt. He was a soldier in the Egyptian Army and also received training in the Soviet Union.[1] He joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1970. He has asserted that he deserted from the Egyptian Army in the mid-1970s and thereafter fled to Lebanon via Jordan with a false passport.[2] He joined the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF) in 1974 and participated on its side during the early stages of the Lebanese Civil War.[2] There, he rose to the rank of lieutenant, commanding a 100-member security detail. He also went to Beirut, where he was wounded in fighting in 1976 and spent the next two years studying politics and economics at the University of Beirut.[1]

In 1986, Talb arrived to Sweden from Syria with his wife and child on a false Moroccan passport, under the name of Belaid Massoud Ben Hadi, and was granted political asylum there. He settled in Uppsala and ran a store specializing in Arabic foods and videotapes.[3]

[edit] 1985 bombings

On December 21, 1989, Talb and three other men were convicted by a court in Uppsala for a series of bombings in Copenhagen and Amsterdam in 1985. On July 22, a bomb had exploded outside the offices of Northwest Airlines in Copenhagen, killing an Algerian citizen and injuring over twenty people. A second bomb exploded at the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen, injuring seven people. In addition to these bombs, the men were convicted for bombings of the Israeli airline El Al offices in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, which left no injuries. Talb and Marten Imandi (a Palestinian-born Swedish citizen) were sentenced by the court to life in prison (which in Sweden generally means 20 years at most) while the other two men – the brothers Mahmoud and Moustafa al-Mougrabi (who are Talb's brothers-in-law[1]), were sentenced to six years and one year in prison respectively for their involvement in the attacks.[3]

Talb maintained his innocence and said he had ended all terrorist activities in relation to Palestine at the end of 1982.

[edit] Lockerbie bombing

Main article: Pan Am Flight 103

In May 1989, Talb was arrested in connection with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, where 270 people were killed. He came under suspicion after Swedish investigators established that he had travelled to Malta in October 1988, two months before the bombing. The Scottish investigators earlier found that the bomb was hidden in a radio-cassette recorder, which was placed in a suitcase and wrapped in clothing bought in Malta. In Talb's apartment in Uppsala, the police also found a 1988 calendar with the date "December 21" circled. In addition, Talb's wife was recorded in a wiretapped telephone call warning another unidentified Palestinian to "get rid of the clothes immediately." Talb denied he was involved in the bombing and said his trip to Malta was for "business".[3]

In a special defence at the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, defence counsel alleged that the Syrian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) and the lesser known PPSF were responsible for blowing up Pan Am Flight 103. They called Abu Talb to give evidence at the trial since they alleged he was linked to both terrorist groups.

In his testimony in November 2000, Abu Talb told the court that he was not involved in the December 1988 Lockerbie bombing. He said he had been at home babysitting in Sweden at the time of the bombing.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Wines, Michael. "Portrait of Pan Am Suspect: Affable Exile, Fiery Avenger", The New York Times, 1989-12-24. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. 
  2. ^ a b Deutsch, Anthony. "Palestinian terrorist expected to deny role in Lockerbie bombing", The Independent, 2000-11-11. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. 
  3. ^ a b c "Pan Am Bombing Suspect Convicted in Other Attacks", Associated Press, 1989-12-22. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. 
Persondata
NAME Talb, Abu
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Talb, Mohammed Abu (full name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION Terrorist
DATE OF BIRTH 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Port Said, Egypt
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH