Name: Mounir El Motassadeq Age: 28 Nationality: Moroccan Claim to fame: The first convict in trials related to 9/11
“IN the name of the people, we have found the accused, Mounir El Motassadeq, guilty of the...charges,” said the presiding judge, Albrecht Mentz, before reading out the verdict on Wednesday, Feb 19.
Mounir was jailed for 15 years by the German court after being convicted of being an “accessory to murder” in the world’s first trial over the 9/11 attacks that claimed countless lives. The Moroccan was also convicted of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and membership of a terrorist organization.
Motassadeq, whose lawyers had called for acquittal, was a friend of three suicide-hijackers who were based in Hamburg, northern Germany. According to the prosecutors, the married father of two provided major logistical support to what authorities call the Hamburg cell of the Al Qaeda network that has since claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Prosecutors and lawyers representing 21 relatives of the victims had called for the maximum sentence of 15 years, which was just what the court handed down.
Flanked by his two attorneys, Mounir El Motassadeq seemed nervous as he waited for the panel of five judges to enter the courtroom. He is also reported to have shared a joke with his interpreter. He exhaled deeply, and seemed irritated by the battery of photographers and camera crews filming him. The hearing was being watched closely by international investigators and relatives of the victims as well. Since the trial began on October 22, the court had attempted to establish whether Motassadeq was a helpful, naive friend who let himself be exploited by the hijackers, or whether he was in on the plot.
Prosecutors focused on his transfer of $28,000 for one of the hijackers, Marwan al-Shehhi, while the latter was pursuing flight training in the United States. They also highlighted Motassadeq’s surprise admission to the court, after repeatedly denying it during police questioning, that he had attended an Al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan.
None of the 30 witnesses heard by the court was able to demonstrate beyond doubt that he had prior knowledge of the attacks. But the prosecutors said they were able to present a “mosaic of evidence” that showed a clear picture of a guilty man.
Security was at high alert outside the court in Hamburg as the panel of judges handed down its ruling. Police had blocked off streets on the eve of the hearing, to avoid any untoward incident. More convictions are expected to follow as court rulings take place as part of worldwide efforts against Al Qaeda activists and their alleged supporters. For the time being, however, the haunting look in Mounir El Motassadeq’s eyes reflects the uncertainty that lies ahead for not only him, but many others like him.
“IN the name of the people, we have found the accused, Mounir El Motassadeq, guilty of the...charges,” said the presiding judge, Albrecht Mentz, before reading out the verdict on Wednesday, Feb 19.
