Al Qaeda’s Network in Iran Being Exposed Inside German Court

Al Qaeda’s current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri (right) with Osama Bin Laden.

Al Qaeda is cooperating with a terror network based in Iran with the tacit approval of the Iranian government, according to the Obama administration. The recent trial of an Al-Qaeda recruit, Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, in Germany has revealed more details about this relationship.

Siddiqui has dual German and Afghan citizenship and was initially a member of an Al-Qaeda affiliate known as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), before joining Al-Qaeda itself. He was captured in Afghanistan before he could carry out attacks on targets in Europe.

Siddiqui revealed that two of his co-conspirators, Rami Makanesi and Naamen Meziche, traveled to Pakistan through Iran to avoid detection.  They traveled through the eastern Iranian city of Zahedan which is reportedly “a well-known hub of al Qaeda and IMU activity.”

Meziche had a history of recruiting fighters for Al-Qaeda operations in Iraq and is being “sheltered” in Iran after surviving a drone strike in northern Pakistan in early October 2010.

Makanesi was arrested in Pakistan in 2010 and “sentenced to nearly five years in prison” in 2011 by a German court. He had his own ties to Iran-based al Qaeda operatives, including Yassin al-Suri. Suri’s Iranian network serves as “a critical transit point for funding to support al Qaeda’s activities” and in December 2011, the U.S. government offered a $10 million reward for his capture.  Following this announcement, Iran took him into “protective custody”.

Al Qaeda’s newest leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is allegedly orchestrating a plot with Iranian backing to attack Europe in the summer of 2012 “to avenge his predecessor Osama bin Laden’s death.” A possible target could be the London Olympics which starts in July.

Despite the animosity “between Sunni extremist al Qaeda and Shia extremist Iran”, they are believed to be cooperating against their common enemy, the United States.

There is evidence of collusion between Al-Qaeda and Iran, even prior to the 9/11 attacks. At least 8 of the 9/11 hijackers traveled between Iran and Afghanistan from October 2000 to February 2001, for training purposes.

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