Belliraj admits links to al-Qaeda, lawyers demand right to proper defence

2008-03-19

As alleged terror network mastermind Abdelkader Belliraj answers multiple charges in a Moroccan court, attorneys for six alleged cell members claim they are being prevented from mounting an adequate defence.

Sarah Touahri in Rabat contributed to this report – 19/03/08

[Sarah Touahri] The lawyers of six defendants in the Belliraj terror trial called upon Moroccan authorities on Monday (March 17th) to provide them with the documents necessary to carry out their duties and guarantee their clients' rights.

Alleged terror cell ringleader Abdelkader Belliraj admitted in a Moroccan court on Monday (March 17th) to having a large network of contacts with extremist groups linked to Osama bin Laden, and to other charges, including the importation of weapons. During his first interrogation by the investigating magistrate of the Salé Court of Appeals, however, Belliraj denied any involvement with several unsolved murders in Belgium. The 50-year-old Belgian and Moroccan national also denied allegations that he was a long-time informant for Belgium's State Security domestic intelligence service.

"Belliraj had contacts with Islamists in al-Qaeda [but] that does not mean he is a terrorist," his lawyer Mohamed Zian told Magharebia. He added that his client claimed the seized weapons were not intended for terrorist acts in Morocco but were rather bound for "Algerian Islamists during the 90s".

Belliraj and the six members of his group arrested on February 18th face a number of criminal charges, including murder, attempted murder, money laundering, forgery criminal association, and financing terror.

At a press briefing on March 17th, defence lawyers for the six men called on Moroccan authorities to provide them with the necessary documents to be able to carry out their duties and thus guarantee the rights of defendants Mohamed Merouani, Mustapha Mouatassim, Mohamed Amine Reggala, Abdelhafid Sriti, Abadla Maâ Laâinaïne and Hamid Najibi.

Since "the defence's work starts at detention, it must have all the details available on file, starting with the preliminary investigation," said lawyer Abderrahmane Benamer. However, he added, "[T]he judge is refusing to give us a copy of the file, even though the law is clear."

Moreover, Benamer said, Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa "infringed the law by revealing some details from the investigation and incriminating the defendants, whilst the courts have not yet had their say." He added, "This could damage the independence of the legal system and affect the course of the inquiry."

Contacted by Magharebia on March 17th, Communications Minister Khalid Naciri stated that there was no question of the government influencing the courts or public opinion. He said that government officials had carried out their duty by making the information public within the law. "If we had said nothing about this case, we would have been accused of withholding information," he said.

Attorneys for the six alleged Belliraj cell members also announced at the press conference that they will turn to the administrative courts to challenge the prime minister’s decision to dissolve the Al-Badil Al-Hadari political party. According to an official statement last month, Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi decreed the dissolution of the Islamist, leftist party after it was linked to the Belliraj group. "The creation of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari association in 1995…was just a front for the members of the [terrorist] network," Chakib Benmoussa explained at the time.

Moroccan officials claimed earlier this month to have uncovered links between the recently-dismantled cell and al-Qaeda. Reportedly, Belliraj's contact network might have also included Dutch terrorist group "Hofstadgroep", the Belgian branch of Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain (GICM), a cell which has sent suicide bombers to Iraq and a now-defunct Moroccan terrorist cell led by two other Belgian-Moroccans. Moroccan intelligence services are now reportedly investigating these alleged links.