SAID NAMOUH CONVICTED IN CANADA

A Canadian resident Said  Namouh, 36, A Moroccan citizen, was convicted on Thursday 10/01/2009, of four terrorism-related charges for plotting attacks in Germany and Austria in order to get the NATO nations to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Said  Namouh who has lived in Quebec since 2003, was found guilty of one count of plotting to set off a bomb in Vienna, participating in a terrorist act, facilitating an act and committing extortion for a terrorist group. He faces life in prison.

According to the Canadian prosecutor Said  Namouh said he wishes to die as a martyr and he was ready to fly abroad to (achieve his goal) to die as a martyr.

Said  Namouh was arrested in Quebec on 09/12/2007 for his alleged role in making threats in an Internet video that surfaced in 03/2007, warning that Germany and Austria would be attacked if they did not pull their troops out of Afghanistan.

A lengthy report filed by USA terrorism expert Rita Katz during Said  Namouh's trial indicated that targets included Vienna-based OPEC, the United Nations, German government officials, prominent politicians in Germany and Austria as well as the Euro 2008 soccer tournament.

Prosecutors also argued Said  Namouh was a member of the Global Islamic Media Front -GIMF-, an organization authorities said was involved in propaganda and jihad recruitment, and described as a media tool for Al Qaeda.

Namouh was alleged to have spent countless hours creating, distributing and redistributing numerous propaganda videos that included images of deaths of western soldiers and of suicide bombings.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police -RCMP found evidence on Said  Namouh's computer of dozens of videos and other propaganda materials, as well as thousands of pages of transcripts from online discussions revealing he was an active member on jihad forums and message boards.

He chatted on the jihad forums under the name "Ashraf," praising attacks against western soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and conspiring to attack Austria and Germany (see - German Media-cell).

He was also accused of publishing a video of the Gaza kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnston by a group known as the Army of Islam, an organization affiliated with GIMF. Judge Claude Leblond said in his ruling he believes the Global Islamic Media Front is a terrorist group in the eyes of Canadian law.

Namouh's coconspirator, Mohammed Mahmoud, an Austrian man of Egyptian origin described as a leader of the GIMF, has already been sentenced in Austria to four years in prison. His wife, Muna, was also sentenced to 22-months for her role in the plot.

There was no evidence that Said  Namouh, who has permanent residence status in Canada, was planning an attack on Canadian soil.

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