A Belgian-Moroccan Jihadist, Oussama Atar, is considered by investigators to be one of the organizers, from Syria, of the attacks in Paris and Brussels. The information was made known on Tuesday (8 November) by sources related to the investigation.
Investigators believe that behind the moniker “Abou Ahmad”, which frequently appears in inquiries, hides the identity of Oussama Atar, 32, a Jihad veteran presently a member of the Islamic State organization who participated in the Paris attacks of November 13th (130 dead) and in those of March 22nd in Brussels (32 dead).
“To date he is the only organizer from Syria to have been identified in the investigations,” stated one of the sources.
The “Kounya”, nickname given to Abou Ahmad, appeared in the investigation shortly following the attacks, after the arrest on December 10th in Austria of Algerian national Adel Haddadi and of Pakistani national Mohamed Usman. The two men had arrived on October 3rd, 2015 on the Greek island of Leros, amid an influx of migrants, together with the two Iraqi kamikazes who exploded themselves near Stade de France on November 13th.
Following denials, Adel Haddadi admitted to having been sent on a mission to carry out the Paris attacks and that the mysterious Abou Ahmad had organized, from Syria, the trip of he and others to Europe.
The Algerian suspect pointed at Oussama Atar as likely being Abou Ahmad, from a series of photos presented to him by investigators, according to one of the sources.
The alias Abou Ahmad also appeared in the investigation following the analysis of a computer left in the trash near one of the hideouts used by the Jihadist cell in Belgium. Investigators dug up conversations in which members of the cell seem to address Abou Ahmad when referring to declarations and modes of action, according to a source related to the investigation.
A distant cousin of the El-Bakraoui brothers – dead in suicide attacks during the events in Brussels – Oussama Atar is a name that has been notorious for antiterrorist investigators for years.
(Source: Belga)
