Algerian Guantanamo returnee, Belbacha Ahmed, met with Ben Laden; Pakistan sold him to America by $5,000

Criminal council’s judge at Algiers court, Omar Belkherchi, issued, Thursday, an order of condemning the Algerian Guantanamo detainee, Belbacha Ahmed, who returned back to homeland, and a penalty of three years in prison with suspension, and a 500,000 ZDZ fine, on the charge of belonging to a terrorist group that is operating abroad.

Criminal Court’s decision came after the representative of the public prosecution demanded, during the trial, the application of 12 years in prison against Belbacha Ahmed, who was received by the Algerian authorities during 2013 and handed over by the American counterpart, at a time when he refused to enter to Algeria since he was declared not guilty by the American justice, as he asked for political asylum in Britain.

General Attorney considered, during the trial that the charges are fixed against Belbacha, especially as his file refers to a meeting with al-Qaeda eliminated leader, Osama Ben Laden, twice, and his training on the various types of weapons in Afghanistan training camps, which belong to al-Qaeda.

Belbacha Ahmed, 43, tried to repudiate of the charge against him, sticking to the denial in response to the criminal judge’s questions, as the same statements which he made in his first trial in 2014 in front of the same court, which declared that he is not guilty, but the deliberations of the Criminal Court’s Council, with its new members, declared that he is guilty, considering that the charges are related to belonging to a terrorist group abroad, and that has no relationship with the September 11 terrorist attacks, during which he was arrested in Pakistan and then he was handed over to the US authorities in exchange for $ 5,000.

The accused confirmed that he traveled during the nineties to Britain, where he met with people who guided him to the charitable voluntary work at the institution if “Zaid Bin Talal” for a monthly wage, which is estimated to $3.000, an offer which was accepted by Belbacha, and his task – according to his statements – was conducting inventory and accounting operation and collecting donations.

“I moved to Afghanistan in a charity mission and not for fighting and weapons training. I was arrested in 2004 by the Pakistani intelligence, which sold me to America, where I was thrown and detained in Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. I stayed there for more than 12 years, during which I faced all kinds of torment. I was released without trial for the lack of any evidence against me regarding the September 11 bombings in 2001, and having relationships with al-Qaeda.

His defense demanded ending the public action against him due to the final decision, at the time this accused is considered the second Guantánamo returnee who was condemned by the Algerian justice after the accused “N.Abdelaziz” who was convicted to three years in prison, at the time all the Guantanamo returnees were declared not guilty.