Quebec man facing terrorism charges key member of jihad propaganda machine

February 19, 2009
MONTREAL — A Quebec man facing international terrorism charges rose quickly as a member of an online jihad propaganda organization, said a report introduced as evidence in his trial Thursday.

In a 121-page expert report filed as evidence, counterterrorism expert Rita Katz analyzed evidence gathered by the RCMP against Said Namouh. Katz writes there is little doubt that Namouh played a "significant and prominent role" in developing, producing and distributing propaganda material for the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF).

Katz, the Crown's final witness, is director of the site Intelligence Group, a Washington-based for-profit organization that tracks global terror networks, intercepts messages and provides advance warnings of attacks to private clients including government agencies.

Namouh, 36, is facing four terrorism-related charges including conspiracy, participating in a terrorist act, facilitating such an act and committing extortion for a terrorist group.

The Crown contends that Namouh is a member of the GIMF, an organization involved in propaganda and jihad recruitment and which is described as a media tool for al-Qaida.
The Crown alleges that Namouh put the final touches on some instructional and propaganda videos broadcast on the Internet. Prosecutors also claim he frequently chatted on jihadist websites under the Internet pseudonym "Ashraf" where he frequently discussed his dedication to jihad (holy war) and al-Qaida.

Namouh, a Moroccan native, was initially arrested for his alleged role in plotting terror attacks in Germany and Austria for their military role in Afghanistan.
His co-accused, an Austrian man named Mohammed Mahmoud, was described as a leader of the GIMF and was sentenced in March, 2008.

Afterwards, computer-crimes detectives found evidence of dozens of videos and other propaganda materials and thousands of pages of transcripts from chat and forum discussions.

Namouh, under the name Ashraf, posted an average of three posts-a-day - 1,075 messages - between Nov. 2006 and September 13, 2007 when he was arrested, authorities allege.

"He had the second largest number of total posts to the Khidemat forum, GIMF's online workshop," Katz wrote in her report, citing the number as a sign of Namouh's strong commitment to GIMF.

"His speed, dedication and devotion to GIMF's activities and the jihadist cause earned the respect of the leaders and members of GIMF, who showered him with praise for his seemingly endless endeavours."

The only one with more messages was Mahmoud, under the name Gharib Al-Diyar.
A number of videos found were found on Namouh's computer, including an elaborate how-to video describing how to pull of a suicide bomb attack.

"Ashraf not only believed in distributing jihadist propaganda, but also in using violence to propagate his radical ideology," Katz wrote.

Namouh is also believed to be behind the distribution and re-distribution of numerous videos and is also believed to be instrumental by publishing videos on popular western video-sharing sites to allow for a wider audience.

Among the videos the Crown alleges were published by Namouh include the kidnapping video of BBC journalist Alan Johnston in Gaza by a group known as the Army of Islam, a group that is affiliated with GIMF.

"Many members of GIMF posted special "thank you" notes for him, showering praises on him that no other GIMF member received," Katz wrote.

While the GIMF does not appear on Canada's list of recognized terrorist organizations, Katz testified in court that its links to al-Qaida and other groups are clear and that GIMF remains "one of the most prominent online jihadist media organizations."

Namouh, a permanent Canadian resident, has been detained since his arrest in September 2007 in Maskinonge, a small town northeast of Montreal.

Defence lawyer Rene Duval said he hasn't decided whether he will put his client on the stand and admits his client's defence is being presented on a "shoe-string budget."

Duval said he will present a defence that will focus on Namouh's charter rights to freedom of speech.

The trial is expected to wrap up sometime next week.