Abu Dahdah
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Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas alias Abu Dahdah ( 'Abū ad-Daḥdāh) is a Syrian-born Spaniard initially sentenced to a 27-year prison term in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
for his part in the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
and for his membership of the banned terrorist organization
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
. However, on 16 February 2006, the Spanish Supreme Court reduced the Abu Dahdah penalty to 12 years because it considered that his participation in the conspiracy was not proven. He is thought to have been a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda's
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
component. Some reports said that Yarkas's telephone number was found in a
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apartment rented by lead hijacker
Mohamed Atta Mohamed Atta (1 September 196811 September 2001) was an Egyptian terrorist hijacker for al-Qaeda. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism, pan-Islamist, he was the ringleader of the September 11 attacks and served as the Aircraft hijacking, hijacker-pi ...
, while others say he was mentioned by name in a diary seized by police in a search of an anonymous apartment, or that his passport had been seized in a raid on the London home of Abu Qatada. He is said to have visited
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
in the years prior to the attacks, while he was being watched by Spanish authorities. Dahdah was one of 11 people arrested on 19 November 2001, and charged with fundraising for al-Qaeda operatives, and his alleged role in convincing youths to attend camps in Afghanistan, camps run by his associates Anwar Adnan Mohamed Salah and Mustafa Setmariam Nasar. He was also said to lead the group Soldiers of Allah, which included Abdulla Khayata, Osama Darra, Jasem Mahboule, Mohamed Needl, Mohamed Zaher, José Luis Galán, Sadik Meriziak, Abdulaziz Benyaich, Najib Chaib, Hassan Al Hussein, and Mohamed Ghaleb Kalaje. His trial began 22 April, and Dahdah pleaded not guilty, maintaining his innocence. Although prosecutor Pedro Rubira had sought 74,337 years imprisonment, Dahdah was sentenced to 15 years for conspiracy to commit terrorist murders, and another 12 years for leading a terrorist organization, the sentences to be served consecutively. While serving his third year in prison, Dahdah was accused by intelligence officer Rafael Gomez Menor who reported to the Spanish parliament that the Madrid train bombings in 2004 had been "Abu Dahdah, without any doubt". It was alleged that he helped direct the operations during prison visits from Walid al-Masri. Dahdah's sentence was later reduced by the Spanish Supreme Court, which ruled that the conspiracy charges were unproven. After serving 12 years, Dahdah was released from prison in May 2013.


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Photograph of Abu Dahdah
during his trial, at
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

"Mugshot" of Abu Dahdah
at El Mundo. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dahdah Living people Syrian emigrants to Spain Spanish al-Qaeda members Syrian al-Qaeda members Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)