Moroccan Convicted in 9/11 Plot Seeks Removal from UN Terrorist List

Mounir al-Motassadeq is asking to be removed from the list of terrorists, as people on this UN list are subject to significant restrictions worldwide such as travel restrictions and asset freezes. An ombudsman is currently gathering information on the Moroccan in various countries, including Germany. He went there to meet with prison authorities. The examination of the Moroccan’s request could take up to a year and a half. After that, it will be up to the Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee in New York to make the final decision. But Motassadeq’s chances are slim. And for good reason, the German government informed the UN several weeks ago that it would not support Motassadeq’s removal from this list, reports Der Spiegel. Reasons given: according to security sources, he is still considered a hero in the Islamist milieu. The Moroccan received visits from jihadists until the end of his sentence, the same sources claim.

In 2001, a regional court in Germany had sentenced Motassadeq to 15 years in prison for complicity in murder and membership in a terrorist organization. He was accused of having helped the Hamburg terrorist cell responsible for the September 11 attacks by financing it through Alshehhi’s funds. Funds that were used to cover the training of the pilots of this cell led by Mohammed Atta in Hamburg, to which the Moroccan had belonged from 1999 to September 11, 2001. He had always proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial. However, he acknowledged that the assassins were close friends in Hamburg, but claimed he knew nothing of their terrorist plans. In 2018, the German authorities deported Motassadeq to Morocco after he had served his sentence.