Farid Melouk (born 14 May 1965) is a French-Algerian former member of the

Armed Islamic Group The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from ; ) was one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups that fought the Algerian government and army in the Algerian Civil War. It was created from smaller armed groups following the 1992 military coup and ar ...

(GIA) and convicted terrorist, known for his central role in jihadist networks. Born in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France, he was the original suspect of a terror plot against the 1998 FIFA World Cup, after having been sentenced ''in absentia'' to 7 years in prison in France for his connection to the

1995 Paris Métro and RER bombings A series of attacks targeted public transport systems in Paris and Lyon, as well as a school in Villeurbanne, in 1995. They were carried out by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), who sought to expand the Algerian Civil War to France. The ...

. After the 1995 charge, he went abroad and spent time in countries including

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. After being arrested in an anti-terrorism police raid in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in March 1998 in connection with the World Cup terror plot, he was sentenced to 9 years in prison in Belgium for charges including attempted murder. He was extradited to France in 2004, and released in 2009. Melouk has been described as a "jihadist address book" for his extensive connections to jihadist and terrorists. During his time in prison, he befriended convicted terrorist

Djamel Beghal Djamel Beghal (also transliterated as Jamel Beghal and Djemal Begal) (; born 2 December 1965) is an Algerian convicted terrorist.

, and in 2010 appeared in photographs alongside Beghal, as well as

Chérif Kouachi On 7 January 2015, at about 11:30 a.m. in Paris, France, the employees of the French satirical weekly magazine ''Charlie Hebdo'' were targeted in a terrorist shooting attack by two French-born Algerian Muslim brothers, and . Armed with ...

, one of the perpetrators of the ''Charlie Hebdo'' shooting in January 2015. Melouk left France with his wife and children for

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in October 2012, and appeared in photographs alongside

Abdelhamid Abaaoud Abdelhamid Abaaoud (; 8 April 1987 – 18 November 2015) was a Belgian-born Islamic terrorist who had spent time in Syria and was suspected of having organized multiple terror attacks in Belgium and France, and is known to have masterminded th ...

, the mastermind of the

November 2015 Paris attacks A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:16, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-De ...

. His extensive networks and suspected role in jihadist recruiting has led him to become a priority target for French anti-terrorism.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melouk, Farid 1965 births Armed Islamic Group of Algeria members French Islamists French male criminals French people of Algerian descent Islamic terrorism in Belgium Islamic terrorism in France Living people People convicted in absentia People convicted on terrorism charges Foreign nationals imprisoned in Belgium People extradited from Belgium People extradited to France French people imprisoned abroad People convicted of attempted murder