Oussama Kassir
Encyclopedia
Oussama Abdallah Kassir ( born 12 January 1966) is a Lebanese
-born Swedish
militant
Islamist
.
, Lebanon. He came to Sweden in 1984 and was granted Swedish citizenship in 1989. He participated in the Lebanese Civil War
during the 1980s and was hurt in battle. His last address in Sweden is an apartment in Bandhagen
in southern Stockholm
.
In September 2002 Kassir told The Seattle Times
that, though not technically a member of Al-Qaeda
, he was a "supporter" of Osama bin Laden
: "I love Al-Qaeda ... I love Osama bin Laden."
he became a friend of Kérim Chatty
, who was suspected of attempted hijacking of a Ryanair
flight in Västerås
but cleared of all terrorism-related charges.
, Czech Republic
, while on his way to Beirut, on December 11, 2005, on a warrant filed by United States
federal prosecutors. He was charged with conspiring to support terrorism by traveling from London
to Bly, Oregon
, in 1999 to help set up a jihad training camp. Kassir and another man, Haroon Rashid Aswat
, were sent to the camp by Abu Hamza al-Masri
, a radical London-based cleric. Kassir and Aswat lived for several weeks at a Central District mosque before traveling to Oregon where they met up with the camp founder James Ujaama and several other persons. The complaint states that Kassir spent nearly two months in Bly, where he, according to unidentified witnesses, trained others to use firearms, set up perimeter patrols on the property and was "in possession of at least one compact disc about improving poisons." The complaint further alleges that Kassir had trained for jihad in Afghanistan
, Kashmir
and Lebanon
. On September 25, 2007 Kassir was extradited from Prague to the United States to face trial.
On May 12 2009 Kassir was found guilty by a federal jury on all eleven charges brought against him. The jury deliberated for a mere five and a half hours. The verdict
came despite the fact that several of the charges had been investigated and dropped in Sweden, a fact which was explained by terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp
: "There is a difference in respect to what kind of evidence is required for someone to be sentenced in European and American courts in cases like this." He continued: "I am not that impressed by the evidential requirements of the American judicial system." He did not, however, exclude the possibility of Kassir being guilty. The perceived difficulty of obtaining a fair trial in terrorism trials in America was also criticized by civil rights activists, who also noted that the charges had already been tried and dropped by Swedish authorities. A spokesperson for Charta 2008 stated: "I think it is very hard to get a fair trial for someone described as a terrorist in the USA. The jury system directly reflects existing prejudice."
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
-born Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
.
Early life
Kassir was born in BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon. He came to Sweden in 1984 and was granted Swedish citizenship in 1989. He participated in the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
during the 1980s and was hurt in battle. His last address in Sweden is an apartment in Bandhagen
Bandhagen
Bandhagen is a suburban district south of Stockholm with 5417 inhabitants. It is located in the Enskede-Årsta-Vantör borough neighboring Högdalen, Stureby and Örby.The metro station with the same name was opened in 1954....
in southern Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
In September 2002 Kassir told The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
that, though not technically a member of 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...
, he was a "supporter" of 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...
: "I love Al-Qaeda ... I love Osama bin Laden."
Swedish criminal conviction
In Sweden he was convicted of possession of illegal firearms, assault and battery of a policeman, and a drug related offense. He spent ten months in prison for possession of illegal firearms. While serving his sentence at the Österåker PrisonÖsteråker Prison
The Österåker Prison is a prison located in Österåker Municipality, thirty kilometers north of Stockholm, Sweden. It is a Class C-security prison with a capacity for 146 inmates. The facility also contains a remand prison with the capacity for 80 inmates....
he became a friend of Kérim Chatty
Kerim Chatty
Kerim Chatty is a Swedish man who was suspected of attempted hijacking of an aircraft in 2002. He was subsequently released from police custody and the preliminary inquiry regarding attempted hijacking was dropped....
, who was suspected of attempted hijacking of a Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
flight in Västerås
Västerås
Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm...
but cleared of all terrorism-related charges.
United States criminal trial
Kassir was arrested in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, while on his way to Beirut, on December 11, 2005, on a warrant filed by United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
federal prosecutors. He was charged with conspiring to support terrorism by traveling from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Bly, Oregon
Bly, Oregon
Bly is an unincorporated community in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. It is about east of Klamath Falls. , the population was 486.- History :...
, in 1999 to help set up a jihad training camp. Kassir and another man, Haroon Rashid Aswat
Haroon Rashid Aswat
Haroon Rashid Aswat is a British citizen of Indian origin. He is alleged to have ties to al Qaeda.-Possible role in the London transit bombing of July 7th, 2005:In the first two weeks following the July 7, 2005 bombings...
, were sent to the camp by Abu Hamza al-Masri
Abu Hamza al-Masri
Abu Hamza al-Masri is an Egyptian Sunni activist known for his preaching of a violent and politicised interpretation of Islam, also known as militant Islamism or jihadism...
, a radical London-based cleric. Kassir and Aswat lived for several weeks at a Central District mosque before traveling to Oregon where they met up with the camp founder James Ujaama and several other persons. The complaint states that Kassir spent nearly two months in Bly, where he, according to unidentified witnesses, trained others to use firearms, set up perimeter patrols on the property and was "in possession of at least one compact disc about improving poisons." The complaint further alleges that Kassir had trained for jihad 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...
, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. On September 25, 2007 Kassir was extradited from Prague to the United States to face trial.
On May 12 2009 Kassir was found guilty by a federal jury on all eleven charges brought against him. The jury deliberated for a mere five and a half hours. The verdict
Verdict
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. The term, from the Latin veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from Middle English verdit, from Anglo-Norman: a compound of ver and dit In law, a verdict...
came despite the fact that several of the charges had been investigated and dropped in Sweden, a fact which was explained by terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp
Magnus Ranstorp
Dr Magnus Ranstorp, born March 13, 1965 in Hästveda, studies Hizballah, Hamas, al-Qaeda and other militant Islamic movements. He is the Research Director of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College, directing a project on Strategic Terrorist Threats to Europe...
: "There is a difference in respect to what kind of evidence is required for someone to be sentenced in European and American courts in cases like this." He continued: "I am not that impressed by the evidential requirements of the American judicial system." He did not, however, exclude the possibility of Kassir being guilty. The perceived difficulty of obtaining a fair trial in terrorism trials in America was also criticized by civil rights activists, who also noted that the charges had already been tried and dropped by Swedish authorities. A spokesperson for Charta 2008 stated: "I think it is very hard to get a fair trial for someone described as a terrorist in the USA. The jury system directly reflects existing prejudice."