Born in Syria, Mohammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi (Arabic: محمد غالب كلاج زوايدي) became a Spanish accountant while living between Spain and Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia he was known as accountant for the al-Faisal branch of the Saudi royal family, which included Prince Turki al-Faisal.
In Spain, he is accused of transferring funds totaling nearly a million dollars from several corporations he was involved with that accepted donations, to Al-Qaeda members, including Mamoun Darkazanli and Nabil Sayadi. He was arrested by Spanish authorities on April 23, 2002.
He was described as "Al Qaeda's financier" by The Wall Street Journal.
Mohammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi's brother-in-law, Abu-Khalid al-Suri, was Al-Qaeda's representative in Syria and received funding from the Qatar-based terrorist Abd Al-Rahman al-Nuaimi, cofounder of Alkarama.
2019 arrest for terrorism financing
On 19 June 2019, Mohammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi was arrested by Spanish police as part of "Operation Wamor", which involved 350 police officers across Spain and Europol anti-terrorism agents. Those arrested were described by Europol as "part of a huge international clandestine structure, with the aim of attacking the Western economic system as a form of terrorism".
He was arrested alongside several members of the Kutayni family, who created a web of companies to fund Al-Qaeda operations in Syria. According to the Spanish newspaper ABC, he acted as the "financial director" of the terrorist network, which was the largest ever uncovered in Spain.
Links with the Muslim Brotherhood
Fares Kutayni, who was arrested with Mohammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi, is a representative of the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain, which is related to the Muslim Brotherhood. According to Spanish media, the Kutayni clan is also related to Riay Tatary Bakry, President of the Islamic Commission of Spain, who is "considered to be ideologically linked to the Muslim Brotherhood".
References
- "Context of 'April 23, 2002: Spain Arrests Alleged Al-Qaeda Financier'". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
- Mohammed Galeb Kalaje Zouaydi
- Vitzthum, Carlta; Johnson, Keith (2002-04-25). "Spain Detains al Qaeda Financier In Flurry of Europe Terror Arrests". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- "WRITTEN TESTIMONY OF JEAN-CHARLES BRISARD" (PDF). United States Senate. 22 October 2003.
- "Treasury Designates Al-Qa'ida Supporters in Qatar and Yemen". www.treasury.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- Pelayo Barro, y Teresa Gómez (23 June 2019). "Uno de los cerebros financieros del 11-S entre los yihadistas detenidos en Madrid". OKDiario. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ "La mayor trama de financiación del yihadismo operaba como una mafia". abc (in Spanish). 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- "Counter-terrorist operation: Spanish National Police disrupts criminal organisation which financed Al Qaeda". Europol. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- "ESTATUTOS DE LA "COMISIÓN ISLÁMICA DE ESPAÑA"" (PDF).
- Rabasa, Angel; Benard, Cheryl; Schwartz, Lowell H.; Sickle, Peter (2007). "Building Moderate Muslim Networks". www.rand.org. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
- M.A. Ruiz Coll, y Pelayo Barro (1 July 2019). "El jefe de la célula yihadista de Madrid fundó la Comisión Islámica y administró la mezquita de Tetuán". OKDiario.
- Jørgen Nielsen, Samim Akgönül, Ahmet Alibašić, Hugh Goddard, Brigitte Maréchal (28 October 2011). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 3. p. 532. ISBN 9789004207554.
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