Raouf Hannachi is a

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n born Canadian citizen who served as the

Muezzin The muezzin (; ), also spelled mu'azzin, is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer ( ṣalāt) five times a day ( Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer) at a mosque from the minaret. The muezzin ...

at the Assuna Mosque in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. In October 2001, he was captured by the United States government and transferred to Tunisian officials, where he was subsequently jailed.Third Montrealer on detainee list at Guantanamo
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', March 10, 2006The Charkaoui Case
'' Communist Party of Canada, Marxist-Leninist'' Hannachi became a Canadian citizen in 1986 and lived in

with his wife. He was an active member of

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 ...

"The Terrorist Within, Chapter 7: Joining Jihad", The Seattle Times, June 27, 2002, March 1, 2010
/ref> and returned from Afghanistan in the summer of 1997 after training for jihad at the Khalden Camp. He shared his experiences with Ahmed Ressam, encouraging him to undergo training, and facilitated Ressam's and Mustapha Labsi's journey to the camp. During interrogations by American intelligence, Abu Zubaydah, under duress, mentioned Hannachi's name among numerous others as potential conspirators. Individuals allegedly recruited by Hannachi include Djamel Ameziane, who was detained at Guantanamo Bay, and

Ahmed Ressam Ahmed Ressam (; also Benni Noris; born May 9, 1967), also known as the "Millennium Bomber", is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived for a time in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He received extensive terrorist training in Afghanistan. He was convicte ...

, who became known as the "Millennium bomber." Hannachi is also accused of providing financial support for their travel to Afghanistan and the Khalden training camp. Additionally,

Adil Charkaoui Adil Charkaoui (in Arabic عادل الشرقاوي born 1974) is an imam Morocco-born Canadian citizen who was arrested by the Canadian government under a security certificate in May 2003. Before issuing the certificate, evidence was submitte ...

, held in Canada on a "Minister's

Security Certificate In Canada, a security certificate is a legal mechanism by which the Canadian government can detain and deport permanent residents and all other non-citizens (i.e., foreign nationals) living in Canada. It is authorized within the parameters of th ...

," is among those linked to Hannachi. Hannachi's Montreal apartment was

wiretap Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connecti ...

ped by the

Canadian Security Intelligence Service The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; , ''SCRS'') is a Intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service and security agency of the Government of Canada, federal government of Canada. It is responsible for gathering, processing, a ...

(CSIS), which referred to his circle of associates as the "Bunch of Guys" (BOG).Pither, Kerry. "Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror", 2008. Despite the casual attitude and boasting of the group, one of its members, Ahmed Ressam, attempted to carry out a terrorist attack on

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian Muslims Tunisian emigrants to Canada People from Montreal {{Canada-crime-bio-stub

See also

References