Abu Dahdah
Encyclopedia
Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas alias Abu Dahdah ( 'Abū ad-Daḥdāh) is a Syrian-born Spaniard sentenced to a 27-year prison term in Spain
for his part in the September 11, 2001 attacks
and for his membership in the banned terrorist organization al-Qaeda
. However on February 16, 2006, the Spanish Supreme Court reduced the Abu Dahdah penalty to 12 years because it considered that his participation in the conspiracy was not proven. He is thought to have been a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda's Madrid
component.
Some reports said that Yarkas's phone number was found in a Hamburg
apartment rented by lead hijacker Mohamed Atta
, while others say he was mentioned by name in a diary seized by police in a search of an anonymous apartment, or that his passport had been seized in a raid on the London home of Abu Qatada
.
He is said to have visited Indonesia
and Malaysia in the years prior to the attacks, while he was under watch of Spanish authorities.
Dahdah was one of 11 people arrested on November 19th 2001, and charged with fundraising for Al-Qaeda operatives, and his alleged role in convincing youths to attend camps in Afghanistan, camps run by his associates Anwar Adnan Mohamed Salah and Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
. He was also said to lead the group Soldiers of Allah, which included Abdulla Khayata, Osama Darra, Jasem Mahboule, Mohamed Needl, Mohamed Zaher, José Luis Galán, Sadik Meriziak, Abdulaziz Benyaich, Najib Chaib, Hassan Al Hussein, and Mohamed Ghaleb Kalaje. His trial began April 22nd, and Dahdah pled not guilty, maintaining his innocence.
Although prosecutor Pedro Rubira had sought 74,337 years imprisonment, Dahdah was sentenced to 15 years for conspiracy to commit terrorist murders, and another 12 years for leading a terrorist organization, the sentences to be served consecutively.
While serving his third year in prison, Dahdah was accused by intelligence officer Rafael Gomez Menor who reported to the Spanish parliament that the Madrid train bombings
in 2004 had been "Abu Dahdah, without any doubt". It was alleged that he helped direct the operations during prison visits from Walid al-Masri.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for his part in the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and for his membership in the banned terrorist organization al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
. However on February 16, 2006, the Spanish Supreme Court reduced the Abu Dahdah penalty to 12 years because it considered that his participation in the conspiracy was not proven. He is thought to have been a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda's Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
component.
Some reports said that Yarkas's phone number was found in a Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
apartment rented by lead hijacker Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
, while others say he was mentioned by name in a diary seized by police in a search of an anonymous apartment, or that his passport had been seized in a raid on the London home of Abu Qatada
Abu Qatada
Abû-Qatâda al-Filisṭînî , sometimes called Abû-Omar is an Islamist militant. Under the name Omar Mahmoud Othman , he is under worldwide embargo by the United Nations Security Council Committee 1267 for his affiliation with al-Qaeda...
.
He is said to have visited Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Malaysia in the years prior to the attacks, while he was under watch of Spanish authorities.
Dahdah was one of 11 people arrested on November 19th 2001, and charged with fundraising for Al-Qaeda operatives, and his alleged role in convincing youths to attend camps in Afghanistan, camps run by his associates Anwar Adnan Mohamed Salah and Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
Mustafa Setmariam Nasar
Mustafa bin Abd al-Qadir Sitt Maryam Nasar is a suspected al-Qaeda member and writer. He has held Spanish citizenship since the late 1980s following marriage to a Spanish woman....
. He was also said to lead the group Soldiers of Allah, which included Abdulla Khayata, Osama Darra, Jasem Mahboule, Mohamed Needl, Mohamed Zaher, José Luis Galán, Sadik Meriziak, Abdulaziz Benyaich, Najib Chaib, Hassan Al Hussein, and Mohamed Ghaleb Kalaje. His trial began April 22nd, and Dahdah pled not guilty, maintaining his innocence.
Although prosecutor Pedro Rubira had sought 74,337 years imprisonment, Dahdah was sentenced to 15 years for conspiracy to commit terrorist murders, and another 12 years for leading a terrorist organization, the sentences to be served consecutively.
While serving his third year in prison, Dahdah was accused by intelligence officer Rafael Gomez Menor who reported to the Spanish parliament that the Madrid train bombings
11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings
The Madrid train bombings consisted of a series of coordinated bombings against the Cercanías system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004 , killing 191 people and wounding 1,800...
in 2004 had been "Abu Dahdah, without any doubt". It was alleged that he helped direct the operations during prison visits from Walid al-Masri.
External links
- Photograph of Abu Dahdah during his trial, at USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
- "Mugshot" of Abu Dahdah, at El MundoEl Mundo (Spain)El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
.
