“We’re used to this. It happened this way in Bosnia too. But we must not be weak. It’s our duty, especially for we who have survived and know well the situation of the families of the brothers who sacrificed their lives in the name of God—above all for those who knew them. Neither the Christians nor the Jews can thwart this project.”
“We’re ready to help, but I’m sure they will raise various doubts and problems about these offices because the people here do not understand religion, because they confuse it with politics.”
“We will demonstrate the contrary. We cannot forget them. He who has need of bread, we will give bread. He who has need of milk, we will give milk.”
Their discussion shifted to a colleague who was to perform an unstated task.
“And how does he go?” Abu Omar said.
“By sea.”
“When?”
“Not yet. He needs to study the thing well, because he has been booked. They have taken his fingerprints.”
“That’s bad.”
“He has decided to change his documents—that’s the plan. Give me a pen.”
There was a shuffling noise, then silence as if the man were writing. At length he said, “The brother already sent me the photos and a catalogue.” A “catalogue” was often code for a passport or other documents.
“What?”
“The brother has sent them to me, but for me it’s a lot.”
“How so?”
“The wax, in my opinion, is too much.”
“Who is it that has prepared it for you? Who? Who?”
“One of the Palestinian brothers.”
“The Palestinian?”
“Yes.”
There followed some talk about using a car for something that was at first inscrutable but whose meaning soon became clear.
“Put a car into a bus,” the man suggested, “like that car that exploded against a bus. But inside there was a brother, which I don’t like.”
“The car sped into the bus with a brother inside?”
“Personally I like to be protected, and I like to protect the youth. Personally I prefer that it be remote-controlled. It’s more beautiful this way. You put yourself far off, and this way you’re protected. We can say God is with us and with them.”
“Amen.”
“There is need of an attack. There is need to do what is done to the Jews, to terrorize them that way, to make them like the Jews who are tired even if they don’t take the bus.”
“Everything at its time,” Abu Omar said. “For now we give thanks to God.”
ALI SHARIF, the director of the mosque, came to Abu Omar a few hours after the man from Rome did.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “but who is that brother running around here?”
“He is a brother.”
“Is he from here, or did he come from abroad?”
“No, he’s from Rome.”
“From Rome?”
“Yes. They have plans to open a school in Rome, and he came to ask my advice. He also asked Mohamed Ali. Anyway, this school has already started. He wanted only some advice.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s a delicate moment. I must know the brothers who are running around here. You know very well the situation we find ourselves in. It’s not that I don’t trust you… . I don’t want to ask you for too much information. You know the brothers come with others and then you discover some strange things. The brothers here have also wondered who he is.”
“He is one I’ve known a long time. He’s a good brother.”
“This is not a problem.”
“He was in prison.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the past. He belongs to the family of Djamel Lounici”—an Algerian terrorist who for a time was based in Naples. “He was in prison in ’95 or ’96 with Djamel’s group.”
“What’s his name?”
“He’s Algerian. He’s with Djamel Luonici’s group. He’s of the same family. I don’t understand why you’re frightened of him.”
“We’re not afraid,” said the imam, sounding more than a little bullied.
“They’re good brothers. They’re ex-jihad. They’re opening some facilities and are asking only for advice.”
“Fine. I don’t have anything against him. Only prudence. God protect you and peace be with you.”
A MAN FROM Germany arrived later that June. DIGOS could not determine his nationality but his Arabic was flavored with idioms of the Maghreb, which suggested he was Algerian, Tunisian, or Moroccan. He had apparently just given a sermon, because Abu Omar said, “Congratulations, you inspired the youth.”
“It doesn’t end here,” said the man. “There are so many things to change to eliminate the enemies of God, the policies of Israel, and those who pursue them.”
“It is our hope.”
“On the sixteenth of last month, there was a confidential meeting of the sheikhs in Poland. The final decision was to completely change the front of Hizb ut-Tahrir”—a group working to reestablish the medieval caliphate—“and build a new organization that takes care of national and international territory. But we need very educated people at every level.”
“It takes time.”
“We have time,” the man said. “We’re going little by little. There are people already on the inside.”
“How so?”
“Currently Sheikh Adel and Sheikh Abd al-Wahab have created several groups in which there are various brothers who have returned from Chechnya.”
“And Sheikh Adlen?”
“He moved before I came here. I knew him in 1987. But let’s return to our subject. Our project has need of people who are intelligent and very educated. As for the jihad part, there is Abu Serrah, who has plans to create a battalion of twenty-five, twenty-six divisions, but the scheme must be well studied.”
“Just don’t let the devil in your midst,” Abu Omar cautioned.
“The first thing I say to you is that we are aware of being under surveillance. We know that half the brothers are in prison, including those who are accused of raising funds. I repeat to you, the plan must be studied in detail, because the thread starts in Saudi Arabia. He who is responsible for this project is Abu Suleiman, who has the same blood as Emir Abdullah, so there is no need for more comments.”
They both laughed. “Emir Abdullah” was code for Osama bin Laden.
“The mosques, however,” the man continued, “have too high a profile. They must be left alone. We need new structures. We’re looking for seven to nine premises. Recently we bought a four-story building.”
“And we’re not looking after the mosques?”
“Sure, we’re looking after them. We finance them too, but money must bring money because the objective is also to form an Islamic army that will have the name of Force 9.”
“How are things going in Germany?”
“I can’t complain. We are already ten. We are also taking an interest in Belgium, in Spain, in the Netherlands, in Turkey, and in Egypt, Italy, and France. But the headquarters remain in London. Sheikh Adlen has given a lot of money. As I’ve already told you, this plan doesn’t need more comments or words.”
“I hope this will inspire the youth.”
“This is our objective. Every one of us has a task. For example, if one has at his disposal a force of ten—he becomes their chief—then it is up to him to decide whether to organize them into smaller groups or keep them as they are. The important thing is to use intelligence.”
“And if some of them are foreigners?” Abu Omar meant non-Arabs.
“It’s not important. We need even foreigners. We have Albanians, Swiss, Englishmen… . Just so long as they are of a high cultural level. In Germany we have interpreters and translators who translate books. We also have them in telecommunications, also in Austria. The important thing is that their faith in Islam be true.”
“We have never had problems with them,” Abu Omar allowed of the foreigners. “To the contrary, we’ve
noticed that they are very enthusiastic and take part readily.”
“Besides, it is neither you nor I who decide whether or not to take them. Those who decide are the people with Hizb al-Tawid.” He perhaps meant the aforementioned Hizb ut-Tahrir, or perhaps he referred to a new group.
“This plan really excites me,” said Abu Omar.
“Never worry about the money, because the money of Saudi Arabia is your money. The important thing is not to run, because it’s all new. There are old parts, but the training is completely new. He who wanted to create the plan is near Emir Abdullah, and we are grateful to Emir Abdullah. Prepare yourself.”
“I’m ready.”
“We’re also awaiting the sheikh from Iraq,” by whom he may have meant Mullah Krekar, the co-founder of the Kurdish terrorist group Ansar al-Islam.
“Be careful of the Internet,” the man warned a little later. “It’s frightening. These are the first instructions of Sheikh Adlen: we must ignore the Internet. If you communicate on the Internet, use another language… . The main issue is that each group protects the other group without destroying each other. And each group must be far away from the other. Chechnya takes care of training the youth, while another group takes care of information. Even for the air we breathe, another group takes care of it. There is only one condition: at each meeting one or two people from the group participate. They speak of their situation and listen to the others. The important thing is that these people are all of the same rank as the others … and everyone must be aware of everything. We are all one, and one is God.”
“We fight for the word of God, even by paper.”
“Yes, this too is part of our plans. There is a certain amount of information that I can’t give until we see each other next time, if God wills… . We need businessmen, professors, engineers, doctors, instructors… . Dear Abu Omar, it’s not the quantity but the quality. Even if they are ten, it’s enough, because you can study [the recruits], you can understand them psychologically. You do as at school. There is kindergarten, elementary school, high school, and college. At each stage there is an exam. But the most important things are security, prudence, intelligence, orders, and communication … because each group is part of a region. I will give you a small example: Italy is part of Austria, Germany is part of Holland, Holland is part of London… . Prudence is what saves you. Take for example the case of Ismail who has been in Holland since 1979 and nobody knows who he is. I repeat to you, the organization must be impeccable where confidentiality is concerned.”
“And I, what do I look after?” Abu Omar asked.
“You sell, you buy, you print, you record. Then the person involved will come and talk with you personally. It’s enough that things not get mixed. It’s enough to avoid the easy arrests. We know perfectly well that you, I, and the others are all under surveillance. I know I am followed by police, but I make fools of them. The important thing is that you find a way of getting the message to the other person. Dear Abu Omar, for combating the enemies of God, we need technology.”
“It’s true.”
“This is why the sheikhs insist that we have many highly educated people.”
“Yes, yes.”
“We need to have a lot of intelligence. If Sheikh Abu Khalil, Sheikh Abu Qatada, or Sheikh Aden the Syrian are all under surveillance, there are other people who lead the group in their stead, who handle the situation. Second, we need to be careful in the way we speak. One must not throw words about carelessly. The tongue must always be controlled. Our groups are spread from Algeria throughout the world. For example, one could lead the group perfectly from Poland, like Sheikh Abdelaziz. He has a group called the Katilea group. His organization is stunning. It’s an impeccable organization. One may even communicate via a book.”
“How? Has he written in a book?”
“Even more. He, in the books—they are books, but they are full of dollars.”
“He sends the dollars via the books?”
“Yes. Also other things.”
“How? By mail?”
“Yes, by mail.”
“With such ease?”
“Yes, because it’s not Europe. Europe is now under surveillance by air and by land, but in Poland, in Bulgaria, and in countries that aren’t part of the European Community, it’s all easy. First of all, they are corrupt. You can buy them with dollars. I take the substance over there, and I put it here and here. They are countries less surveilled, there aren’t so many eyes. But the country where everything starts is Austria. There I meet with all the sheikhs, and all our brothers are there… . It has become the country of international communications, the country of contacts, as I told you earlier. All the contacts arrive from Austria or from Poland. The most convenient country is Austria and the other countries nearby. If you are wanted by the law, you have two choices: either you hide there or in the mountains. Above all, the Sahafi Mosque, the old mosque, has been a very hot mosque for a long time, very hot. They are very united, particularly after the event that just happened there.”
“There is only one God, and Muhammad is his Prophet,” said Abu Omar, perhaps in benediction of the unknown event at the hot mosque.
“I will send you the whole explanation with a brother. I only recommend to you the union and Hizb al-Tawid.”
“I need only directions.”
“If God wills, they will reach you. It’s a matter of days, because at this moment the sheikhs are traveling in Algeria, in Morocco, and in Bosnia. Calm and patience: you must never run… . One needs only to instruct and study and organize things that may interest us. Study the streets, because war must be studied.”
Italian investigators would later say they never learned the identity of the man from Germany.
ALI SHARIF’S WORRIES about Abu Omar continued to grow, as did those of the imam and president of Viale Jenner, respectively Abu Imad and Abdelhamid Shaari, whose combined influence at Via Quaranta was profound. Several times the three men warned Abu Omar to be less flagrant in his pronouncements, but Abu Omar would not be restrained. Toward the end of the summer of 2002, their disagreements reached a climax, not recorded by the police, and afterward Abu Omar limited his time at Via Quaranta to a few hours a week. Later he stopped going entirely. He continued to attend noon prayers at Viale Jenner.
For occupation, he founded the Islamic Media Center, which consisted of himself, a computer, and a printer and through which he aspired to become the voice of righteous Islam in Italy. The center’s primary output was an occasional newsletter called Islamic Truth, which commented on current affairs in language simple enough for a poorly educated people to understand. He distributed the newsletter to mosques in northern Italy, some of which posted copies in their foyers. They also posted his photo galleries, as he called them, which were printouts of politically themed pictures he had downloaded from the Internet—pictures, for example, of Israeli massacres of Palestinians or American massacres of Afghanis. As a rule his galleries were gorier than the family-friendly violence on offer from most Western newspapers.
He also became an itinerant imam, preaching at radical mosques across northern Italy. Mosques in Parma, Cremona, Como, and possibly elsewhere seem to have asked him to become their regular imam, but he played coy.
“It’s very difficult, so difficult,” he told a suitor from Cremona. “Three other mosques have called me, but I find myself in a very difficult situation, so very difficult… .Very, very.”
He described his anguish at some length, like a kid in an ice cream shop.
“I can’t relate to you just how awkward it is,” he said.
On the phone, he usually said nothing of importance, and DIGOS apparently had no bug in his flat. But investigators followed him in and out of Milan, often fruitfully. On a trip to Parma, for example, he was picked up at the train station by three Kurds whom DIGOS had thentofore known only a little about and had believed to be mostly harmless. Their contact with Abu Omar prompted a more thorough investigation, which r
evealed them to be part of a pan-European network that, in the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, was recruiting Islamists to serve the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam in Iraq. American missiles would eventually destroy Ansar ’s main camp in Kurdistan, and scores of documents forged in Italy would be found among the ruins. Their bearers had lived mostly in Milan and Cremona. Ansar’s recruiters in Italy sent perhaps a hundred men in all to Iraq, and other European recruiters sent perhaps a few hundred more. At least five suicide attacks in Iraq were believed to have been carried out by “Italian” Islamists. After one attack, the martyr’s brother in Milan called their mother in Tunisia to tell her the good news. She agreed it was a most wonderful thing and said she had had a vision of her sacrificial son, which was a good omen. The son in Milan said a rich man was going to give the family €8,000 in reward, and mother and son agreed that half of it might be used to renovate the house. Another Milanese recruit, a young North African named Kamal Morchidi, apparently took part in a rocket attack on Baghdad’s Hotel al-Rashid. (Morchidi and al-Rashid, it happens, are synonyms that can be translated “He who follows the right path.”) The target of the strike may have been Paul Wolfowitz, the American undersecretary of defense, who was then in residence and whose unstinting advocacy for the Iraq War helped bring death to a number of innocents that most terrorists can only dream of killing. Wolfowitz survived the strike, but Morchidi died either during it or shortly afterward. His father said he had been a normal, loving son until he started attending the mosque on Viale Jenner, after which he became increasingly dark of mood. Then one day he simply disappeared. The father went to the mosque and demanded its leaders tell him where his son was, but he learned nothing. The next thing he heard, his son was dead. In Milan young Morchidi had lived on Way of the Unknown Martyrs.
The investigators of DIGOS eventually concluded that Abu Omar was an important recruiter for the Ansar network. They drew their conclusion partly from what other terrorists said—one, for example, said he heard Abu Omar sound the call for recruits in Parma, and he thought Abu Omar may have supplied travel papers for their journey to Iraq—and partly from the activities of the people Abu Omar associated with. One of Abu Omar’s closer associates was an Egyptian named Radi El Ayashi, known as Merai, who seemed to be the leader of Ansar’s efforts in northern Italy. Abu Omar was also involved, although at more of a remove, with one Maxamed Cabdullah Ciise, known as Mohammad the Somali, who apparently raised and laundered funds for Ansar from London. The Italians arrested Merai and Mohammad when the latter came to Italy for forged documents, and, on the slim chance they might talk, put them together in a bugged holding room. It was a ploy Jihad manuals warned about, but the pair were carelessly revelatory.
A Kidnapping in Milan: The CIA on Trial Page 10
