Posted on 04/01/2003 12:26:13 PM PST by knighthawk
Britain's first convicted al-Qaida terrorists have been jailed for 11 years each after they were found guilty of raising funds and recruiting people for the terror network.
Illegal immigrants Brahim Benmerzouga and Baghdad Meziane raised thousands of pounds through a credit card fraud for an international network of terrorists planning a Jihad, or holy war, against the West.
The two Algerians also worked together to make military equipment, false travel documents and recruitment material available to the terrorist organisation, a jury at Leicester Crown Court heard.
Benmerzouga, 31, and Meziane, 38, became the first men in Britain to be convicted of being part of the Osama bin Laden's terrorist network which carried out the September 11 attacks.
Sentencing the two men Mr Justice Curtis, said: "You have not directly taken life or seriously injured anyone but the terrorists, in order to carry out their terrible killings and maimings, need money, false papers and military-style materials.
"You both provided terrorists with the vital support and ran a well-organised and secretive cell."
The two men, who were living in Leicester and worked together in a factory in Corby, used numerous false identities between them, and were secretly part of an intricate network of terrorist cells across Europe. They were a support unit for the terror network, exchanging coded messages and detailing cash transfers.
Benmerzouga, of Prospect Hill, had amassed more than 60 films promoting suicide bombings and martyrdom, including 19 copies of a video of Osama bin Laden.
Meziane had a book entitled A Biography Of The Freedom Fighter Osama Bin Laden and material about the attacks on September 11 was found on a computer at his home in Rolleston Street.
The pair collected the names and credit card details of almost 200 different bank accounts on computer discs and envelopes found littered around their homes and cars. The actual cards were sent to associates across Europe, allowing them to fraudulently amass more than £200,000 for terrorist causes.
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.