Al-Qaeda trial opens in Belgium

[Gość: GIENY]

Al-Qaeda trial opens in Belgium


Armed police are guarding the courthouse
The trial of 23 alleged Islamic extremists has begun amid intense security
in Brussels.
The accused face a range of charges including involvement in the murder of
the Afghan opposition leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, and planning attacks on
American targets in Europe.

It is only the third trial of alleged al-Qaeda supporters since the 11
September attacks.

It comes amid fresh concern over international terrorism sparked by a series
of bombings and the broadcast of an alleged al-Qaeda leader's call to arms.

Police barricades around Brussels's Palais de Justice have been reinforced
with armoured vehicles in a huge operation to ensure security around the
courthouse.

Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network is believed to have been behind last
week's suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia, in which dozens of people were
killed.

Last Friday's bombings in Casablanca - in which 29 people died - have also
been linked to the terror network.

Former footballer charged

Two Tunisians, Nizar Trabelsi and Tarek Maaroufi, face the most serious
charges in the trial, expected to last a month.

Mr Maaroufi is accused of leading a group implicated in the killing of
Massoud - who was the most important figure in the anti-Taleban movement in
Afghanistan.


Massoud was the charismatic leader of the resistance to the Taleban

On 9 September 2001 - two days before the suicide hijackings in the United
States - Massoud was visited by two suspected al-Qaeda militants posing as
journalists at his headquarters in the north of the country.

He died after a bomb, reportedly concealed in a video camera, went off.

Mr Trabelsi, a former professional footballer, is accused of planning to
bomb a Belgian air base as well as the American embassy in Paris. He was
arrested two days after the 11 September attack.

Interviewed on Belgian radio last November, he admitted plotting an attack
on the Kleine Brogel air base where 100 Americans are deployed.

He also says he met Osama Bin Laden during a visit to Afghanistan.

Of the 23 accused only eight are being held in custody. Five are still on
the run and the remainder face lesser charges.

Belgium has no specific anti-terrorism laws. If found guilty Trabelsi and
Maaroufi face up to 10 years in prison.





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BACKGROUND


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SEE ALSO:
US protest over al-Qaeda tape
22 May 03 | Middle East
Afghans remember slain resistance hero
09 Sep 02 | South Asia
Afghan opposition commander killed
24 Nov 99 | South Asia



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