Menad Benchellali
Encyclopedia
Menad Benchellali is a suspected terrorist arrested in France
on January 6, 2004.
Benchellali is alleged to have been an al Qaeda chemical weapons specialist.
Benchellali is alleged to have attended the derunta training camp
in Afghanistan
.
According to the Washington Post, Benchellali was known as "the chemist. French investigators assert that, when Benchellali returned to France, from Afghanistan
, he built a home lab in his bedroom, where he manufactured ricin
.
Benchellali is reported to have sent his younger brother Mourad Benchellali
and a friend, Nizar Sassi
, to Afghanistan.
Mourad and Sassis were captured and detained in Guantanamo.
Benchellali, was convicted, along with 24 others, on June 14, 2006 for their roles in planning a terrorist attack that was to have taken place in France to support Chechen
independence.
Benchellali was described as the group's leader, and received a 10 year sentence. Benchellali's father, Chellali Benchellali,
Hafez Benchellali, a younger brother, and Hafsa Benchellali, his mother, were also convicted for their roles.
Mourad Benchellali published a book about his experiences, and on June 14, 2006 the New York Times published an op-ed by Mourad, in which he blamed Menad for tricking him into attending a military training camp on what he thought would be a kind of vacation. Mourad said he was looking forward to his day in court, for attending that training camp, after spending years in detention, without charge, in Guantanamo.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on January 6, 2004.
Benchellali is alleged to have been an al Qaeda chemical weapons specialist.
Benchellali is alleged to have attended the derunta training camp
Derunta training camp
The Derunta training camp was one of the most well-known of many military training camps that have been alleged to have been affiliated with al Qaeda.-Training with poisons:...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
According to the Washington Post, Benchellali was known as "the chemist. French investigators assert that, when Benchellali returned to France, from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, he built a home lab in his bedroom, where he manufactured ricin
Ricin
Ricin , from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally occurring protein. A dose as small as a few grains of salt can kill an adult. The LD50 of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram Ricin , from the castor oil plant Ricinus communis, is a highly toxic, naturally...
.
Benchellali is reported to have sent his younger brother Mourad Benchellali
Mourad Benchellali
Mourad Benchellali is a French citizen, who was captured and detained in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 161....
and a friend, Nizar Sassi
Nizar Sassi
Nizar Sassi is a citizen of France who was detained by the United States in their naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 325....
, to Afghanistan.
Mourad and Sassis were captured and detained in Guantanamo.
Benchellali, was convicted, along with 24 others, on June 14, 2006 for their roles in planning a terrorist attack that was to have taken place in France to support Chechen
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
independence.
Benchellali was described as the group's leader, and received a 10 year sentence. Benchellali's father, Chellali Benchellali,
Hafez Benchellali, a younger brother, and Hafsa Benchellali, his mother, were also convicted for their roles.
Mourad Benchellali published a book about his experiences, and on June 14, 2006 the New York Times published an op-ed by Mourad, in which he blamed Menad for tricking him into attending a military training camp on what he thought would be a kind of vacation. Mourad said he was looking forward to his day in court, for attending that training camp, after spending years in detention, without charge, in Guantanamo.