Repentant reveals to Echourok: terrorist leaders were laundering collected funds for the benefit of their families.

“ I would like to apologize to Algerian I harmed either directly or indirectly”. This is how the former financer of the terrorist group “ Katibet Al Arkem” known as “ Abu Yahia” who was among the 10 most wanted terrorists in the mid 1990s has started his interview with “Echourok”.

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• He was in charge of the money collected by 12 squads in the province he was operating in before giving up his activities and surrender to the security forces within the framework of the national reconciliation charter.
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• Echourok: When did you join the ranks of the terrorist group and how ?
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• Abu Yahia: It was in 2001 when my cousin, who was one of the leaders of a squad, tried many times to convince me to join the terrorists, although I didn’t support him but he portrayed me life in the mountain as heaven.
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• Echourok Did you find what he promised?
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• Abu Yahia No at all, at the beginning I refused to obey him but unfortunately for me he obliged me to provide him with a car to transport one of his elements thinking that it would be the first and last service and would leave me alone. But the security forces have received intelligence about this act and issued an arrest warrant against me; my cousin seized this opportunity to convince me to join the terrorists; which I did.
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• Echourok Did you ever try to flee and comeback to your family?
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• Abu Yahia It was impossible for two reasons. Firstly, the squad’s leader has ordered the killing of whomever thinks of repentance and surrender to the traitors, as he called them, and secondly he informed me that I was sentenced to life in absentia taking away the idea of repentance; moreover, my cousin knew where I leaved and he could easily find me or even harm my family.
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• Echourok What was the nature of your task, and how were you managing the collected funds?
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• Abu Yahia: I would like to inform you that staggering sums were collected over years of terrorist activities mostly out of blackmailing and thefts. I was in charge of collecting this money and 60% was given to the national leader Abu Mosaab Abdelouadoud, while 20% were given to the leaders of the squads and the remaining 20 % to the troops.
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• Echourok Have you ever met the leader Abu Mosaab Abdelouadoud?
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• Abu Yahia: No, all we knew about him was through the orders and circulars that bear his signature that we used to received on regular basis. The meeting has chaired were attended by his closest acolytes.