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When Osama bin Laden was banished from Sudan in 1996, he left the country in a rented Soviet jet — an aged and antique Tupolev flown by a Russian pilot he did not trust. With him were a few bodyguards, his military commander, Saif al-Adel, and two sons named Sa’ad and Omar — both young men in their late teens. Although it was the corrupt Islamic government of Sudan that had robbed Osama bin Laden of much of his vast personal wealth, he blamed America for his misfortunes, according to Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright. “He held America responsible for the...

Joining Al Qaeda By Josh Lefkowitz and Lorenzo Vidino Wall Street Journal | September 1, 2003 Randall Royer, David Hicks, Jack Roche, Christian Ganczarski. These aren't the names one expects to see when reviewing a list of those charged with participation in international Islamic terrorism. However, a disturbing number of converts have turned to militancy in a quest to add direction to their lives. Disillusioned with mainstream society, these disaffected men are attracted by the sense of community that Islam offers. While those who adopt mainstream Islam find solace in its teachings, the result can be quite different when converts...

A German man arrested in France last week on suspicion of links to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States is a top leader of the al Qaeda network, France's Interior Minister said Wednesday. Christian Ganczarski, 36, was arrested at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport on June 2. "(Intelligence) services know that he is a top leader of al Qaeda, in contact with Osama bin Laden himself, and has been in Afghanistan and Bosnia," Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told parliament.

News, June 2003, Al-Jazeerah.info French Question Two Men Over Al-Qaeda Links Agence France Presse Arab News PARIS, 7 June 2003 — French anti-terrorist investigators were yesterday questioning two men — a Moroccan and a German — arrested this week at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris on suspicion of membership in extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda. Karim Mehdi, 34, who was arrested on Sunday, is suspected of having contacts with the Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers; Christian Ganczarski, 36, who was detained the next day, is believed to have been in liaison with the suicide bomber who blew up a Tunisian...

France catches al-Qaeda suspects TERROR LINKS: The men are suspected to have been involved in helping carry out the Sept. 11 attacks on the US as well as a recent synagogue bombing in Tunisia AP Saturday, Jun 07, 2003,Page 6 French anti-terrorism authorities have arrested two men -- a Moroccan and a German believed to be a top al-Qaeda recruiter -- as part of investigations of the Sept. 11 attacks and a deadly bombing at a Tunisian synagogue, judicial officials said on Thursday. The officials said they believe the suspects -- Moroccan national Karim Mehdi and Christian Ganczarski of Germany...

PARIS - France has arrested a German man suspected of links to the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and a suicide attack at a Tunisian synagogue last year, police said on Friday. Christian Ganczarski, 36, was arrested on Monday, one day after French police detained a Moroccan man also wanted in connection with September 11 attacks, blamed on the Al-Qaida network. A French police spokesman said Ganczarski was suspected of links to the synagogue bombing in Djerba in April 2002 and the September 11 attacks, but it was not clear what role he may have played in...

SEPT 11 SUSPECT HELD A man suspected of involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks on America has been arrested in France. Moroccan Karim Mehdi  is believed to have links to a German-based al Qaeda terrorist cell which supplied one of the September 11 hijackers, a French official said on condition of anonymity. The 34-year-old will appear before a judge on Thursday and will then be placed under investigation for connection with the attacks - one step short of being charged. The French intelligence service took Mehdi into custody on Sunday at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the official said. He was in transit on a...

PARIS (AP) - French authorities investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States have arrested two men - a Moroccan and a German believed to be a top al-Qaida recruiter - in the last two days at the Paris airport, judicial officials said Thursday. The officials said they believe there's a link between the two suspects. On Sunday, Karim Mehdi, a 34-year-old Moroccan, was taken into custody at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the officials said on condition of anonymity. He had arrived from Germany and planned to leave to the French island of La Reunion...

German Arrested in Riyadh for Alleged Al-Qaeda Link M. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News Staff RIYADH, 6 April 2003 — The German Foreign Office has confirmed the detention of a German national in Saudi Arabia. He was allegedly involved in a terrorist attack on a Tunisian synagogue last year which killed 21 people, including 14 German tourists. The German national has been identified as Christian Ganczarski, a Muslim sometimes known as Abu Ibrahim. Ganczarski, 36, who is also wanted in the US, was arrested in the Kingdom after Germany provided information to the Saudi government. The suspect was arrested and...