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http://osint.internet-haganah.com/archives/001142.htm

May 18, 2007

Greek Authorities Keep Muslim Extremists in Greece Under Close Surveillance

Translated from the Greek Athens Ta Nea paper by OSC:

The authorities are looking for traces of al-Qa’ida after related reports by European authorities. Dozens of Muslims are under discreet surveillance, while the arrest in Greece of an al-Qa’ida operative has raised the alertness level.
According to intelligence sources, operatives working for the terrorist organization have used Greece as a “support country,” and after the capture of an operative in Greece, Europol has asked our government to intensify the search for potential Islamist extremists.

High-ranking Counter-Terror Squad officials told Ta Nea that “in practice, this means that branches of al-Qa’ida active in Europe and North Africa may use Greece as an initial point of entry into Europe for their members, either through the use of forged travel documents or through illegal immigration routes.”

Arrest in Kipous

The most significant capture of a Muslim terrorist linked to the al-Qa’ida network occurred on 13 September 2005, when Moroccan national Anwar Mazrar was arrested at the Kipous Customs Station on the Greek-Turkish border.

Mazrar was wanted by the French and Moroccan authorities for membership in an organization of fanatical Muslims acting as an al-Qa’ida branch in Morocco. The fundamentalist organization had been accused of a number of bombings in Morocco, and sources claims Mazrar was one of its top officials. Hunted by the Moroccan police, he had managed to escape to France, where with the help of fellow Muslims he is reported to have set up a network of extremists. He had next traveled to an Arab country on a forged French passport.

Extradition to Morocco

French intelligence informed the Greek authorities that Mazrar would try to enter Greece from Turkey on a bus route between Istanbul and Thessaloniki. Immediately after his arrest, all the necessary procedures were put into effect, and Mazrar was extradited to Morocco, where he was tried for his membership in the Islamic extremist organization. The Moroccan refused to reveal the reason for his trip to Greece, although related reports indicated he was planning to stay for some time.

Under Surveillance

A high-ranking Counter-Terror Squad official had told Ta Nea that groups of immigrants from North African countries, primarily from Morocco and Algeria, are currently under surveillance. A total of around 7,000 North African immigrants are currently living in Greece. Counter-Terror Squad note, however, that few of them draw the attention of the authorities. Sources report two imams from North Africa suspected of membership in extremist Islamic organizations in Algeria are currently under surveillance. Several groups of Pakistanis that have reportedly been joined by fundamentalists are also being watched. Another group is made up of Kurds from Iraq and Turkey, and Arab nationals. Authorities are focusing on 20 mosques that usually operate under the label of cultural associations.

Concern About the Arrests of “Hellenized” Arabs

Another element that increases concerns within the authorities is the fact that over the past five years, a number of Arab Muslim fundamentalists carrying Greek passports have been arrested in European countries. “Hellenized” Arabs have been arrested in Britain, Portugal, France, Italy and Holland. It was discovered that the Arabs had acquired the forged documents from networks of forger compatriots, some of whom were not even in Greece. Around 10-15 of those arrested while carrying forged Greek documents were suspected of membership in extremist Islamic organizations.

According to Public Order ministry officials, he forged passports had been issued based on the old system, and that there are no reports from Europol about arrests with the new passports. Authorities in other European countries, however, report that Muslims travel across other EU countries with forged Greek passports that allows them to travel from country to country without any control.

In response to calls for clarifications about the ease with which illegal immigrants have crossed into Greece and then used forged documents to cross to other European countries, domestic authorities cite the difficulties they face in protecting borders.

Posted on 18 May 2007 @ 16:30 GMT