Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot
Encyclopedia
The Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot was an al-Qaeda
plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market
(Christkindelsmärik) at the feet of Strasbourg Cathedral
during the Christmas celebrations of 2000. It was prevented by French and German police.
In March 2003, four suspects linked to the terror plot were sentenced to between 10 and 12 years imprisonment by a court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
. The German court said the group had planned to blow up pressure cookers packed with explosives, a technique they allegedly learned in Afghan camps.
In December 2004, ten other suspected Islamic militants were jailed in Paris for their part in the failed plot. These suspects - all Algerian or French-Algerian - were sentenced to terms of up to 10 years. One of the convicted persons was said to have been an associate of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden
.
The 10 sentenced in Paris were convicted of criminal association with a terrorist enterprise, which according to state prosecutor Christophe Tessier had links to Islamic networks in Britain, Italy and Spain.
The group's alleged leaders, Mohamed Bensakhria, 37 and Slimane Khalfaoui
, 29, were given 10 years, and Mohamed Yacine Aknouche, 30, was given eight. Rabah Kadre
, 37, who was in detention in the UK was given six years and was banned
from entering French territory. The six other suspects, who received lesser terms, were alleged to have given logistical support to the plot by providing false documents to other group members.
ns, who are wanted or who have been convicted over this plot include:
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...
plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market
Christkindelsmärik, Strasbourg
Christkindelsmärik is a Christmas market held annually in Strasbourg, France, near Strasbourg Cathedral.- History :Strasbourg has been holding Christkindelsmärik around its cathedral since 1570....
(Christkindelsmärik) at the feet of Strasbourg Cathedral
Strasbourg Cathedral
Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely consideredSusan Bernstein: , The Johns Hopkins University Press to be among the finest...
during the Christmas celebrations of 2000. It was prevented by French and German police.
In March 2003, four suspects linked to the terror plot were sentenced to between 10 and 12 years imprisonment by a court in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The German court said the group had planned to blow up pressure cookers packed with explosives, a technique they allegedly learned in Afghan camps.
In December 2004, ten other suspected Islamic militants were jailed in Paris for their part in the failed plot. These suspects - all Algerian or French-Algerian - were sentenced to terms of up to 10 years. One of the convicted persons was said to have been an associate of al-Qaeda leader 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...
.
The 10 sentenced in Paris were convicted of criminal association with a terrorist enterprise, which according to state prosecutor Christophe Tessier had links to Islamic networks in Britain, Italy and Spain.
The group's alleged leaders, Mohamed Bensakhria, 37 and Slimane Khalfaoui
Slimane Khalfaoui
Slimane Khalfaoui was a French-Algerian terrorist convicted of the Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot in 2004 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison at a French court in Paris, France...
, 29, were given 10 years, and Mohamed Yacine Aknouche, 30, was given eight. Rabah Kadre
Rabah Kadre
Rabah Kadre or Kadri , was a former member of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat based in Algeria. He was an alleged mastermind of the 2000 Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot in December 2000 and sentenced in absentia to 6 years in prison at a court in Paris in 2004...
, 37, who was in detention in the UK was given six years and was banned
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
from entering French territory. The six other suspects, who received lesser terms, were alleged to have given logistical support to the plot by providing false documents to other group members.
Suspects
The numerous people, mostly AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
ns, who are wanted or who have been convicted over this plot include:
- Abu DohaAbu DohaAmar Makhlulif alias Abu Doha is an Algerian alleged to be member of the al-Qaeda and GSPC terrorist networks. He was arrested at London Heathrow Airport in February 2001 while attempting to travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on a forged passport. On 3 July 2008 the British bench released him from...
, a senior terrorist who has been held in the UK since 2001. On 3 July 2008 the British bench released Abu Doha from prison, under several security measures. - Slimane KhalfaouiSlimane KhalfaouiSlimane Khalfaoui was a French-Algerian terrorist convicted of the Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot in 2004 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison at a French court in Paris, France...
, arrested in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by British authorities, extradited to FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, convicted with nine others, and sentenced to ten years. - Rabah KadreRabah KadreRabah Kadre or Kadri , was a former member of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat based in Algeria. He was an alleged mastermind of the 2000 Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot in December 2000 and sentenced in absentia to 6 years in prison at a court in Paris in 2004...
, arrested and held in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
since 2001, sentenced by France in absentia to six years.
See also
- Christkindelsmärik, StrasbourgChristkindelsmärik, StrasbourgChristkindelsmärik is a Christmas market held annually in Strasbourg, France, near Strasbourg Cathedral.- History :Strasbourg has been holding Christkindelsmärik around its cathedral since 1570....
- Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings
- Rizal Day bombingsRizal Day bombingsThe Rizal Day bombings, also referred to as the December 30 bombings, were a series of bombings that occurred around Metro Manila in the Philippines on December 30, 2000. The explosions occurred in close succession within a span of a few hours...