Yesterday, we reported on the arrest of Mohamad Ayman Adlbi, the president of the General Islamic Commission, the leading Muslim organization in Spain, on suspicion of financing terrorism. Today, the Spanish news outlet, El Independiente, reports that the presiding judge has ordered the treasurer of the organization to remain in custody. Additional details are revealed as to the activities of the defendants. The treasurer has not been named in the article. The defendants are charged with diverting charitable funds, intended for orphans in Syria, to Al Qaeda. The below article is translated by Fousesquawk.
(Provisional) custody for the treasurer of the General Islamic Commission of Spain for financing of terrorism
-Independiente
-March 25, 2021
The judge of the National Court, Joaquin Gasea, has ordered provisional (custody) for the treasurer of the General Islamic Commission for allegedly belonging to a terrorist organization and financing terrorism (by) diverting humanitarian aid destined to orphaned children in Syria.
This was decided Thursday by the magistrate after taking a statement (from him) in the framework of the operation by the National Police in which he was detained with two other persons who remain in (provisional) freedom, among whom is Mohamad Ayman Adlbi, president of the Islamic Commission of Spain, judicial sources informed Thursday.
In the judgment of the judge, there are indications that the treasurer of the Commission could be collaborating with an NGO that is reportedly facilitating economic aid to jihadist factions affiliated with or have served the interests of Al Qaeda.
According to the National Police, the operation has so far resulted in two arrests in Madrid and another in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for alleged participation in a crime of terrorist financing using as cover the collection of donations of humanitarian aid for Syrian orphaned children.
The arrestees are accused of making use of the resources of a cultural association, collecting solidarity donations, and directing a portion to areas occupied by Al Qaeda militias with the aim of supporting its fighters.
A portion of the collection was destined to support the expenses of a school center for orphaned children located in a conflict zone.
They allegedly channeled quantities of money from Spain, given in good faith among sympathizers of an Islamic cultural center, to an NGO active in a conflict zone in Syria.
A portion of the collection was destined to support the expenses of a school center for orphaned children located in a conflict zone, and whose activities centered on the training of future jihadists.
The education given centered on the most radical teaching of Sharia and training of the children in armed combat, motivating them to continue the terrorist activity of their fathers killed in combat.
This investigation stems from other proceedings opened in the Central Court of Instruction, number 6 of the National Court in 2019.
The inquiries point to the alleged participation of a group of persons (who) coordinated several years to organize and transfer money from Spain to jihadist factions affiliated with or who served the interests of Al Qaeda.
For this work of collection, a fraudulent (entity) was created in order to obtain sums of money from dozens of people residing in different parts of Spain, the majority of whom did not know with clarity who the final beneficiaries were of the money they contributed in this charity campaign organized by those investigated.
From the investigation, it is shown that the treasurer of the Commission and the other two arrestees used their position of influence in the management of the Islamic Center Abu Bakr Mosque, located on Anastasio Herrero Street in Madrid.
The treasurer allegedly utilized resources of various Muslim religious associations interconnected with each other and located in that Islamic center to collect donations under the appearance of humanitarian aid to orphans.
Money that was later sent in an opaque form from an NGO called Al Bashear Humanitarian Organization to Al Basdyer Insdani Yardim Dernegine, according to what the investigations show.
Those investigated allegedly put into place a system of collecting money at the national level.
Since the start of the Syrian conflict, those investigated had allegedly put into place a system of collection of money at the national level that used as a cover humanitarian aid to the orphans of Syria, all this through the previously mentioned NGO, connected to the jihadist terrorist organization, Yeish al Islam, which came to operate as a branch of Al Qaeda in Syria.
Participating in the operation were provincial investigation brigades from Madrid, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Zaragoza, and Ceuta-at the national level- and the police agency Europol at the international level.
During the operation, which took place last Tuesday, four entries/searches were carried out in which numerous documentation, money, effects and technical (devices) were seized which are being analyzed by the investigators.
The judge has ordered secrecy of the proceedings, and the investigation remains open, so new proceedings are not ruled out.
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