A Moroccan student gets 10 years prison for supporting terrorism in Algeria

A Moroccan student accused of supporting terrorist groups was brought Monday before the criminal court of Algiers. He revealed on the existence of a project called “Fatima’s bridge”, aiming to create coordination between the Moroccan and Algerian terrorist groups through facilitating the transit of the Moroccans who aimed to enter to Algeria in order to join the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat “GSPC” also called Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

• Contact between the terrorists happened thanks to the internet through Al Ansar’s web site. The General Attorney sought him 18 years imprisonment because of his dangerous file.
• The accused “S.A” also named Sami is a 30 year old man who has the French and Moroccan nationalities. He studied electronics in a French university. He was arrested on the 27th December 2005 in Algiers hotel. He said during the preliminary investigation that he had contacts with terrorists during two years via Al Ansar’s (battalion) web site and he decided to meet them then they asked him for an amount of money, he thus sent 1000 euros.
• The accused said, during the trial, that he sent 1000 euros only to help the resistance in Iraq. He also revealed that he met with a Moroccan and they discussed the Jihad, and because the Moroccan was a specialist in electronics, the Salafist Group asked for his help that’s why he gave them his plan “Fatim’s bridge” which is divided into several stages, according to the file of the accused, and begun with the coordination between both the Algerian and Moroccan terrorist groups, particularly, in the two border regions Bechar and Bou Arfa, South of Algeria.
• The second stage concerns an agreement between the two groups on the time of the Moroccans move to the ranks of the Algerians expecting a secured road, cars and mobile phones in order to facilitate the communication.
• The accused sent his project via internet to the Salafist Group, however, this latter did not understand the plan “Fatima’s bridge” asked him to move personally to Algeria in order to explain its details that’s why “S.A” moved to Algeria and stayed two days in Algiers hotel where he was caught owning a portable computer and Fatima’s bridge plan.
• The accused said the terrorists in Algeria asked him to provide them with vibrations device in order to use it in the remote bombs.
• However, he denied joining any terrorist group, and recognized sending 1000 euros to help the two terrorist groups. He also said he has no idea about any terrorist plan. His defence focused on this matter confirming that he is student who comes from an educated family as his father is a Moroccan doctor and his mother is Dutch that’s why he can join terrorism.
• After the deliberations, the criminal court sought him 10 years imprisonment.