Raouf Hannachi
Encyclopedia
Born in Tunisia
, Raouf Hannachi is a Canadian citizen who served as the Muezzin
at Assuna Mosque in Montreal
, and was later detained by the United States
government at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
in Cuba
. He was turned over to Tunisia
n officials in October 2001 and jailed.
Hannachi became a Canadian citizen in 1986, and lived in Montreal
with his wife.
Hannachi was an active al-Qaeda member. Hannachi returned from Afghanistan towards the end of the summer of 1997, where he had trained for jihad
at Khalden Camp. He told Ahmed Ressam
about the experience and jihad, encouraged him to train as well, and ultimately arranged a trip to the camp for Ressam and his roommate Mustapha Labsi
.
When Abu Zubaydah
was waterboarded
by American intelligence officers, he offered up Hannachi's name among the hundreds of others he listed as conspirators.
His Montreal
apartment was wiretapped by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS), who dubbed his circle of friends BOG, Bunch of Guys
, and joked that they were like "terrorist tupperware parties" in their boastful talk and lack of any true threat. One of them, however, was Ahmed Ressam, the al-Qaeda member known as the Millennium bomber who attempted to blow up the Los Angeles International Airport.
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Raouf Hannachi is a Canadian citizen who served as the Muezzin
Muezzin
A muezzin , or muzim, is the chosen person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for prayer from one of the mosque's minarets; in most modern mosques, electronic amplification aids the muezzin in his task.The professional muezzin is chosen for his...
at Assuna Mosque in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, and was later detained by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. He was turned over to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n officials in October 2001 and jailed.
Hannachi became a Canadian citizen in 1986, and lived in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
with his wife.
Hannachi was an active al-Qaeda member. Hannachi returned from Afghanistan towards the end of the summer of 1997, where he had trained for jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
at Khalden Camp. He told Ahmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam
Ahmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived in Montreal, Canada.He was convicted of attempting to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots...
about the experience and jihad, encouraged him to train as well, and ultimately arranged a trip to the camp for Ressam and his roommate Mustapha Labsi
Mustapha Labsi
Mustapha Labsi, an Algerian resident living in London, England, was arrested in 2001 on terrorism charges, which were later dropped. He was re-arrested in 2003 for the same charges.-Life:...
.
When Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah
Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian citizen, sentenced to death in Jordan and currently held in U.S. custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Not neutral: Arrested in Pakistan in March 2002, he has been in US custody for more than eight years, four-and-a-half of them spent incommunicado in solitary confinement...
was waterboarded
Waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
by American intelligence officers, he offered up Hannachi's name among the hundreds of others he listed as conspirators.
| Djamel Ameziane Djamel Ameziane Barry Clarke, Bishop of the Anglican diocese of Montreal, which is helping to sponsor Ameziane, wrote about how he responded to Canadians critical of the Church's initiative on Ameziane's behalf.He called Ameziane's captivity in Guantanamo "an injustice".... |
|
| Ahmed Ressam Ahmed Ressam Ahmed Ressam is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived in Montreal, Canada.He was convicted of attempting to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots... |
Khalden training camp The Khalden training camp was a military training camp in Afghanistan. According to the documentary Son of al Qaeda there were hundreds of military training camps in Afghanistan which were tied to al Qaeda... . |
| Adil Charkaoui Adil Charkaoui Adil Charkaoui is a Morocco-born permanent resident of Canada who was arrested by the Canadian government under a security certificate in May 2003.... |
Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... , on a "Minister's Security Certificate". |
His Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
apartment was wiretapped by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
(CSIS), who dubbed his circle of friends BOG, Bunch of Guys
Bunch of Guys
A Bunch of Guys , or Group of Guys are terms used by counter-terrorism officials to refer to small, self-organizing terrorist cells. BOGs typically have little to no contact with global terrorist groups like al Qaeda, so they independently plan and execute their own operations with no outside...
, and joked that they were like "terrorist tupperware parties" in their boastful talk and lack of any true threat. One of them, however, was Ahmed Ressam, the al-Qaeda member known as the Millennium bomber who attempted to blow up the Los Angeles International Airport.