Belgiums Belliraj Terrorist leader committed six murders

Flanders News has a video and a short synopsis of the arrest of, "A Moroccan Belgian suspected of six killings".
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Islam in Europe: Belgium: Terrorist leader committed six murders citing a Dutch source, HLN, Islam in Europe tells us:

A Belgian resident of Evergem, of Moroccan origin, "had committed six murder in Belgium in the years 1986-1989, according to the Moroccan Minister of Internal Affairs", and that, "Abdelkader Belliraj, also known as "Ilyass" and "Abdelkrim", was born in Nador in northern Morocco in 1957. According to Benmoussa, the he had double national and had committed six crimes in Belgium between 1986 and 1989."

The murders were previously unsolved, but Benmoussa said they would be reopened thru arrangements with Belgium and Interpol.

Islam in Europe reports that,

"The network did commit or attempted several robberies in 1992-2001 in order to finance their activities. They are responsible for the spectacular robbery of the Brinks headquarters in Luxembourg in 2000, where they netted 17.5 million euro."
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Arutz Sheva reports in their article that, "Arrested Moroccan Terrorist Suspect in Killing of Jew", and that:


"The head of the Muslim terrorist network arrested by Moroccan authorities this week is suspected of carrying out the assassination of the president of the Belgian Jewish community in 1989. The Al Qaeda-linked group planned to kill government officials and members of the Jewish community in Morocco. The head of the terrorist gang is Abdel Kader Belliraj, who is accused of carrying out six murders in Belgium, including that of Dr. Joseph Wybran, who was president of the umbrella group of Jewish organizations in Belgium."
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European Jewish Press stated in, " Head of terror network dismantled in Morocco linked to murder of Jewish leader in Belgium?", that "The minister {Benmoussa} said Belliraj, who has dual Moroccan and Belgian citizenship, also assassinated two Muslim leaders in Brussels in 1{9}99 because they had opposed a fatwa or religious edict issued by Iran against Indian-British author Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses." EJP also reports about the Belliraj terrorist group that,


"Benmoussa's comments came as Moroccan authorities banned a small Islamist party over its alleged ties to the Al-Qaeda linked group.

It also had links with an organisation called the Moroccan Islamic Combattant Group (GICM) and the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat in Algeria, which has become Al-Qaeda's North African branch, the minister said.

According to Benmoussa, the network had contacts with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in 2001.
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Belgium authorities had previously been criticized internally for being overly cautious in preparations against terrorism. This came to attention when fireworks were disallowed at the beginning of the year, as reported by Counterterrorism Blogs report, " Belgium and the Netherlands Ring in the New Year under the Shadow of Terrorism". Counterterrorism Blog informed us that, "The fear of a terrorist attack surfaced just before Christmas when, on December 21, police forces arrested 14 persons allegedly plotting the escape of Nizar Trabelsi (La Dernière Heure, December 22, 2007)". Belgium's preparations for the terrorist threat was deemed "extremely weak" and inadequate on several fronts.


"There is some reason to believe that the terrorist threat is relatively high in both Belgium and the Netherlands. To begin with, some terrorist networks seem to have found fertile ground in both countries. Second, Brussels and Amsterdam have sent troops to Afghanistan, which could motivate attacks domestically. Finally, Belgium is particularly worried as it hosts many offices of the European Union (EU) as well as NATO’s headquarters.

This is not to say, however, that an attack is imminent or even unavoidable. It is uncertain, for instance, to what degree EU or NATO facilities are priority targets of al-Qaeda. Clearly, both Belgium and the Netherlands have realized that more has to be done in counterterrorism in order to maintain the safety of their territory. In Belgium, despite some recent successful police operations, the means seem especially inadequate compared to the potential and actual threat. The judicial system is still relatively weak on terrorism; for instance, the maximum sentence for a terrorist plot is 10 years. The intelligence community needs to adapt as well—more experts are needed. Finally, as both countries adapt their counterterrorist strategies, a balance between security and civil liberties, a very sensitive issue, will have to be found."
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