Abdelkader Belliraj
Encyclopedia
Abdelkader Belliraj is a Moroccan
-Belgian citizen who was found guilty in 2009 of arms smuggling and planning terrorist attacks in Morocco.
and battery
(1986), followed by convictions for breach of trust
, arms trafficking, and trafficking in false passports
with accomplices inside the Moroccan consulates of Belgium (1987), as well as embezzlement
(1989).
organized the successful hold-up of a Brinks agency at Kehlen
, Luxembourg
on April 17, 2000. They stole 17,000,000 Euro
s. Abdellatif Bekhti was arrested and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Luxembourg in January 2003. He succeeded in escaping two months later with the help of his gang. He then took refuge in his native Morocco. He allegedly laundered 2,500,000 Euros in Morocco, where he was re-arrested in 2008, along with the so-called "Belliraj network".
On October 31, 2008, the son of Abdelkader Belliraj, Omar Belliraj, as well as Abdellatif Bekhti's brother, Abderahim Bekhti, appeared before the Correctional Court of Brussels for laundering money from the Brink's hold up (on charges that had been slightly reduced to robbing €15,000,000). Abderahim Bekhti then said, "Yes, my brother committed the hold up in Luxembourg and he took away more than 600 million Belgian francs. He was condemned to 20 years and he escaped. Then, he was taken in by Belliraj who told him he would invest the money. He invested in hotels and my brother never again saw his money. Thence, there is no whitewashing. I bought a Porsche
, that's all.". The judicial correspondent of La Dernière Heure
mentions that both Abderahim Bekhti and Omar Belliraj laundered the money by buying four Porsches, one Mercedes
, a Honda motorcycle and a jet ski
, with €500 banknotes only.
clandestine (but nonviolent) organization (now the Annahj Addimocrati
party), and had contact with Mustapha Moatassim, who 20 years later became one of the founders of the Al Badil Al Hadari
party, a small legalist islamist party with exceptionally good relations with the legalist Far Left Parti Socialiste Unifié
and with Moroccan human rights organizations. Moatassim and another leader of this party were arrested alongside Belliraj in February 2008 and the party was officially disbanded by the Moroccan government.
, led by Panarabist Moroccan Lekbir Nouri. However, there are only Abdelkader Belliraj’s own words to substantiate the allegation of his so-called union activism. The Christian trade union stated that Belliraj was never an employee of its organization or has never been a member in any way (affiliation being a condition for recognition as a union activist).
Nouri and his companions travelled a lot in the Middle East
, notably in Libya
and Iraq
, both for political reasons and to get money from the oil-rich Arab "progressive" regimes. A delegation of this Arab section, including Belliraj, met in Iran
with Ayatollah Khomeini in 1981. There were allegations of embezzlement in 1989 against both Nouri and Belliraj, who allegedly disposed of large amounts of Libyan and Iraqi funds for their personal use.
for the main Belgian intelligence agency
, the Sûreté de l'État
, infiltrating criminal organizations, and even having dinner with Osama bin Laden
less than two weeks before the September 11 attacks. Belliraj turned over large amounts of information regarding Al Qaeda to Belgian authorities. It has also been alleged that he could have been as well an informant for the CIA and/or for a Moroccan secret service.
s in 1986–1989, being paid $300 for three of them by Abu Nidal
. Some of them were claimed in Beirut by the Soldiers of the Right
. In the 1990s, Belliraj allegedly became involved with international criminal and terrorist networks, working as a "money man.". However, he recanted all these "confession
s" later, through his attorney. He also stated in an open letter, written in August 2008 and published by the Belgian newspaper Le Soir
, that they had been extorted under torture, a practice common in the Moroccan police system.
Belliraj's purported confessions included the murders of:
. Claims have been made that these weapons could have been part of an attempt by the Belgian secret service to infiltrate Belliraj inside an Algerian terrorist organization; they were discovered at Beni Chiker, near Nador
in the Rif
region, an area well known for drug and weapon trafficking.
Criminal Appeal Court in charge of terrorism affairs. It was continued until November 14, 2008, at the request of the 40-odd lawyers representing 33 indicted persons. It was then again continued to December 26, 2008.
On October 22, 2008, Belgian Justice Minister Jo Vandeurzen
was asked in the House of Representatives by MP
Georges Dallemagne (of the CDH
center-left party, a member of the governing coalition) if Belliraj could be tried in Belgium for the crimes he allegedly committed there between 1986 and 1989. The Minister answered that it was premature to raise the question of such a trial and that Morocco would never, in any case, extradite
Belliraj.
On June 27, 2009, Belliraj was convicted of "plotting terror attacks in Morocco, holdups in Europe, large-scale money laundering projects and arms trafficking." He was sentenced to life in prison. His lawyer has said that he plans to appeal the ruling. The trial has been described as Morocco's highest profile terrorism case, and has divided political parties, with some supporting Belliraj's defence. Some human rights groups have criticised the verdict, saying that the trial was politically motivated and the convictions are suspect.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
-Belgian citizen who was found guilty in 2009 of arms smuggling and planning terrorist attacks in Morocco.
Petty criminal in the 1980s
In the 1980s, he was convicted in Belgium of assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
(1986), followed by convictions for breach of trust
Position of trust
Position of trust is a legal term that is commonly used in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. It refers to a position of authority over another person or within an organization, for example as a supervisor...
, arms trafficking, and trafficking in false passports
Passport fraud
Possible violations of the following statutes are investigated by the United States Diplomatic Security Service:*18 USC 1541 Issuance Without Authority*18 USC 1542 False Statement in Application and Use of Passport...
with accomplices inside the Moroccan consulates of Belgium (1987), as well as embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
(1989).
Hold-up in 2000
A Belgian-Moroccan gangGang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
organized the successful hold-up of a Brinks agency at Kehlen
Kehlen
Kehlen is a commune and town in western Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Capellen, which is part of the district of Luxembourg., the town of Kehlen, which lies in the centre of the commune, has a population of 1,627. Other towns within the commune include Dondelange, Keispelt, Meispelt,...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
on April 17, 2000. They stole 17,000,000 Euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s. Abdellatif Bekhti was arrested and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Luxembourg in January 2003. He succeeded in escaping two months later with the help of his gang. He then took refuge in his native Morocco. He allegedly laundered 2,500,000 Euros in Morocco, where he was re-arrested in 2008, along with the so-called "Belliraj network".
On October 31, 2008, the son of Abdelkader Belliraj, Omar Belliraj, as well as Abdellatif Bekhti's brother, Abderahim Bekhti, appeared before the Correctional Court of Brussels for laundering money from the Brink's hold up (on charges that had been slightly reduced to robbing €15,000,000). Abderahim Bekhti then said, "Yes, my brother committed the hold up in Luxembourg and he took away more than 600 million Belgian francs. He was condemned to 20 years and he escaped. Then, he was taken in by Belliraj who told him he would invest the money. He invested in hotels and my brother never again saw his money. Thence, there is no whitewashing. I bought a Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, that's all.". The judicial correspondent of La Dernière Heure
La Dernière Heure
La Dernière Heure and "Les Sports" is a French general daily newspaper in Belgium....
mentions that both Abderahim Bekhti and Omar Belliraj laundered the money by buying four Porsches, one Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, a Honda motorcycle and a jet ski
Jet ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...
, with €500 banknotes only.
Marxist-Leninist sympathiser in the 1970s
During his youth in the 1970s, Belliraj probably was a sympathiser of Ila Al Amam, a Moroccan Marxist-LeninistMarxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
clandestine (but nonviolent) organization (now the Annahj Addimocrati
Annahj Addimocrati
Annahj Addimocrati in Arabic) is a Marxist political movement officially recognized in Morocco. Constituted in 1995, it is the successor to the Marxist-Leninist Moroccan Movement and principally the organization "Ila Al Amame" , which militated clandestinely.The MMLM, born at the beginning of the...
party), and had contact with Mustapha Moatassim, who 20 years later became one of the founders of the Al Badil Al Hadari
Party of al-Badil al-Hadari
The Party of al-Badil al-Hadari is a political party in Morocco.In the parliamentary election, held on 7 September 2007, the party did not win any seats. Secretary-General: Mostafa Lmouatassime Deputy Secretary-General: Zahira Brini...
party, a small legalist islamist party with exceptionally good relations with the legalist Far Left Parti Socialiste Unifié
Party of the Unified Socialist Left
The Unified Socialist Party , or PSU, previously known as the Party of the Unified Socialist Left , or GSU, is a political party in Morocco.-Historical roots:...
and with Moroccan human rights organizations. Moatassim and another leader of this party were arrested alongside Belliraj in February 2008 and the party was officially disbanded by the Moroccan government.
Panarabist activist and Belgian trade-unionist in the 1980s
In the 1980s, Belliraj was an activist of the Arab section of the Belgian Christian trade-unionConfederation of Christian Trade Unions
-External links:* Official site....
, led by Panarabist Moroccan Lekbir Nouri. However, there are only Abdelkader Belliraj’s own words to substantiate the allegation of his so-called union activism. The Christian trade union stated that Belliraj was never an employee of its organization or has never been a member in any way (affiliation being a condition for recognition as a union activist).
Nouri and his companions travelled a lot in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, notably in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, both for political reasons and to get money from the oil-rich Arab "progressive" regimes. A delegation of this Arab section, including Belliraj, met in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
with Ayatollah Khomeini in 1981. There were allegations of embezzlement in 1989 against both Nouri and Belliraj, who allegedly disposed of large amounts of Libyan and Iraqi funds for their personal use.
Informant of the Belgian State Security Service since the 1990s
At some point in the 1990s, Belliraj became an informantInformant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
for the main Belgian intelligence agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
, the Sûreté de l'État
Belgian State Security Service
The Belgian State Security Service, known in Dutch as Veiligheid van de Staat, or Staatsveiligheid , and in French as Sûreté de l'État , is a Belgian intelligence agency...
, infiltrating criminal organizations, and even having dinner with Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
less than two weeks before the September 11 attacks. Belliraj turned over large amounts of information regarding Al Qaeda to Belgian authorities. It has also been alleged that he could have been as well an informant for the CIA and/or for a Moroccan secret service.
Alleged murders in 1988–1989
Belliraj allegedly committed a series of murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s in 1986–1989, being paid $300 for three of them by Abu Nidal
Abu Nidal
Abu Nidal , born Sabri Khalil al-Banna , was the founder of Fatah–The Revolutionary Council , a militant Palestinian group more commonly known as the Abu Nidal Organization...
. Some of them were claimed in Beirut by the Soldiers of the Right
Soldiers of the Right
A Jund al-Haqq organization claimed in 1988 and 1989 from Beirut a kidnapping in Lebanon, three assassinations in Brussels, a murder in Bangkok and an attempted murder in Karachi. The precise nature of this group was never clearly elucidated, nor even the reality of its existence...
. In the 1990s, Belliraj allegedly became involved with international criminal and terrorist networks, working as a "money man.". However, he recanted all these "confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
s" later, through his attorney. He also stated in an open letter, written in August 2008 and published by the Belgian newspaper Le Soir
Le Soir
Le Soir is a Berliner Format Belgian newspaper. Le Soir was founded in 1887 by Emile Rossel. It is the most popular Francophone newspaper in Belgium, and considered a newspaper of record.-Editorial stance:...
, that they had been extorted under torture, a practice common in the Moroccan police system.
Belliraj's purported confessions included the murders of:
- July 28, 1988: Raoul Schouppe, 65, a grocerGrocerA grocer is a bulk seller of food. Beginning as early as the 14th century, a grocer was a dealer in comestible dry goods such as spices, pepper, sugar, and cocoa, tea and coffee...
in Brussels and former warrant officerWarrant OfficerA warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
in the Belgian Air ForceBelgian Air ForceThe Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded in 1909, it is one of the world's first air forces, and was a pioneer in aerial combat during the First World War...
, who was locally known to be Jewish - August 16, 1988: Marcel Bille, 53, allegedly because Bille was a client to Moroccan male prostitutes; he was killed with the same gun as Schouppe
- March 29, 1989: Abdullah Ah-Adhal El Hasi, 36, imam and manager of the Islamic and cultural center of Brussels (then placed in charge by the Belgian authorities of IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in Belgium, with an emphasis on the selection of Islamic teachers paid by the Belgian authorities; this so-called "Grand Mosque" was controlled by the Saudi-based Muslim World LeagueMuslim World LeagueThe Muslim World League is one of the largest Islamic non-governmental organizations. Muslim religious figures from 22 states founded it in Makkah in 1962.-Structure:...
) - March 29, 1989: Salem Bahri, 48, El Hasi's assistant, allegedly for objecting to Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwaFatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against Salman Rushdie - June 20, 1989: Samir Gahez Rasoul, 24, a chauffeur for the Saudi Arabian ambassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Belgium; he allegedly was a collateral victim of a shot aimed at a Saudi diplomat - October 3, 1989: Joseph Wybran, 49, a Belgian immunologist and leader in the local Jewish community.
Arms trafficker in the 2000s
Belliraj and 37 others were arrested in Morocco in January and February 2008; their arrests were made public on 18 February 2008. They were accused of stockpiling weapons for terrorist attacks. Belliraj denied the charges, claiming that the weapons were cached in the 1990s, intended to support (or to be sold to) Islamic radicals in AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. Claims have been made that these weapons could have been part of an attempt by the Belgian secret service to infiltrate Belliraj inside an Algerian terrorist organization; they were discovered at Beni Chiker, near Nador
Nador
Nador is a city located in the northeastern Rif region of Morocco. The city is a Mediterranean port on the Bḥar Ameẓẓyan lagoon , and it is the major trading center in the region for fish, fruit, and livestock...
in the Rif
Rif
The Rif or Riff is a mainly mountainous region of northern Morocco, with some fertile plains, stretching from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Ras Kebdana and the Melwiyya River in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river of Wergha in the south.It is part of the...
region, an area well known for drug and weapon trafficking.
Trial
Belliraj's trial was docketed for October 16, 2008, at the SaléSalé
Salé is a city in north-western Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town...
Criminal Appeal Court in charge of terrorism affairs. It was continued until November 14, 2008, at the request of the 40-odd lawyers representing 33 indicted persons. It was then again continued to December 26, 2008.
On October 22, 2008, Belgian Justice Minister Jo Vandeurzen
Jo Vandeurzen
Johan Maria Gerardus "Jo" Vandeurzen is a Belgian politician, member of Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams , a centrist Flemish Christian Democratic party. He was the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and Institutional Reforms in the Leterme I Government , which took office on 20...
was asked in the House of Representatives by MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Georges Dallemagne (of the CDH
Humanist Democratic Centre
The Humanist Democratic Centre is a Francophone Christian democratic political party in Belgium. The cdH currently participates in the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, the Government of the French Community and the Walloon Government.- History :...
center-left party, a member of the governing coalition) if Belliraj could be tried in Belgium for the crimes he allegedly committed there between 1986 and 1989. The Minister answered that it was premature to raise the question of such a trial and that Morocco would never, in any case, extradite
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
Belliraj.
On June 27, 2009, Belliraj was convicted of "plotting terror attacks in Morocco, holdups in Europe, large-scale money laundering projects and arms trafficking." He was sentenced to life in prison. His lawyer has said that he plans to appeal the ruling. The trial has been described as Morocco's highest profile terrorism case, and has divided political parties, with some supporting Belliraj's defence. Some human rights groups have criticised the verdict, saying that the trial was politically motivated and the convictions are suspect.