In December 2000, an

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

-linked plot to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market, at the feet of the

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

, on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...

was discovered. The plot was foiled by French and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

police after a terrorist network based in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

, Germany, the "Frankfurt group", was unravelled. A total of fourteen people were convicted as part of the plot; four in Germany and ten in France, including the operational leader,

Mohammed Bensakhria Mohamed Bensakhria is an Algerian citizen, sentenced in France to 10 years in prison for his role in the 2000 Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot on December 16, 2004. He is suspected of having had close links to Osama bin Laden. He was arrested i ...

( "Meliani"), thought to be a European deputy to Osama bin Laden. The alleged mastermind of the plot was thought to have been Abu Doha, who was detained in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Arrests

After being tipped off by British intelligence, German police on 26 December 2000 discovered bomb-making equipment during a raid of an apartment in Frankfurt. Four men were arrested. Among the findings were several pressure cookers, 30 kg of chemicals that could be used to make explosives, and a notebook describing how to mix homemade bombs. A video was also discovered, showing a crowded Christmas market in Strasbourg, with a voiceover in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

calling the people in the video "enemies of

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", ...

." The voiceover, attributed to one of the suspects, further said "This cathedral is Allah's enemy," and "You will go to hell, Allah willing." The call that had alerted British intelligence had been made by one in the group asking Abu Doha, the alleged mastermind of the plot, for more cash; Doha was already wanted by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

for his connection to the Los Angeles International Airport millennium bombing plot. Members of the Frankfurt group were found to have trained in al-Qaeda camps in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

, to have connections to Islamist networks in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and the United Kingdom, and to the

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

n terrorist group

Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat ( ar, الجماعة السلفية للدعوة والقتال), known by the French acronym GSPC ('), was an Algerian terrorist faction in the Algerian Civil War founded in 1998 by Hassan Hattab, a ...

(GSPC). The discovery of the plot in Frankfurt led to further arrests in the United Kingdom, where another plot of killing members of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...

was discovered, in which

MEPs A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, it ...

were to be killed with

sarin Sarin (NATO designation GB G-series, "B"">Nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for Nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound.nerve gas Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme tha ...

during session in Strasbourg in February 2001. British police arrested twelve people including Doha in February 2001 as a result of the Frankfurt operation. All British suspects were quickly released due to "lack of evidence," although Doha was subsequently re-arrested. According to the

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal ad ...

, the charges against six main suspects were dropped for "security reasons," which was linked by others to an MI5 bid to "monitor" the group.

Trials and convictions

In March 2003, the four suspects in Frankfurt, Aeurobui Beandali, Salim Boukhari, Fouhad Sabour and Lamine Maroni were sentenced to between 10 and 12 years' imprisonment. According to the Frankfurt court, the group had planned to blow up pressure cookers packed with explosives, as they had learned in training camps in Afghanistan. The target was reported to have been the Christmas market at the Strasbourg Cathedral on New Year's Eve. The target was said to have been chosen deliberately for its Christian symbolism. Beandali was the only to confess to the plot, while Boukhari and Sabour claimed to have planned to attack an empty synagogue in Strasbourg. In December 2004, ten suspects were put on trial in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, accused of being members of the Frankfurt group. The suspects, all Algerian or French-Algerian, were sentenced to terms of up to 10 years, convicted for "criminal association with a terrorist enterprise" with alleged connections to terrorist networks in the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. The group's alleged leaders, Mohammed Bensakhria (a.k.a. Meliani, considered one of Osama bin Laden's "lieutenants" in Europe), 37, and

Slimane Khalfaoui Slimane Khalfaoui (born 1975, Algeria) was a French- Algerian terrorist convicted of the Strasbourg Cathedral bombing plot in 2004 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was married to a French-Muslim woman during his arrest. Early life Kh ...

, 29, were given 10 years, and Yacine Akhnouche, 30, was given eight. Bensakhria, the suspected ringleader, was thought to have fled Germany as he was arrested in Spain in 2001 and subsequently extradited to France.

Rabah Kadre Rabah Kadre or Kadri (born 1967) is a former member of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat based in Algeria. He is an alleged mastermind of the 2000 Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot in December 2000 and sentenced ''in absentia'' to 6 year ...

, 37, who was in detention in the United Kingdom was given six years, and was banned from entering French territory. The six other suspects, who received lesser terms, were convicted for giving logistical support to the plot by providing false documents to other group members.

References

{{reflist, 2 2000 crimes in France 2000 in France 2000 crimes in Germany 2000 in Germany 2000s in Frankfurt 20th century in Strasbourg Al-Qaeda activities in Europe Attacks during the New Year celebrations Crime in Frankfurt Crime in Grand Est December 2000 crimes December 2000 events in Europe Failed terrorist attempts in France Islamic terrorism in France Islamic terrorism in Germany Islamic terrorism in the United Kingdom Islamic terrorist incidents in 2000 Church bombings by Islamists Plots and attacks using pressure cooker bombs Terrorist incidents in France in 2000 Terrorist incidents in Germany in 2000 Terrorist incidents in Europe in 2000 Islamist attack plots and attacks on Christmas markets

Arrests

Trials and convictions

See also

References