Naamen Meziche was extradited from Pakistan on Tuesday to France. It is believed he has links to the German al-Qaeda cell behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
In May 2012, Pakistan arrested Meziche close to the border of Iran. Authorities said he is an associate of Younis al-Mauritani who was told by Osama bin Laden to plan attacks in Australia, Europe, and America.
“This is a big fish, at the historic heart of al-Qaeda,” a French anti-terrorism official told AFP news agency.
Meziche was born in France but moved to Afghanistan in the 1990s. He left for Germany in the mid-90s and helped bring jihadists to a radical mosque in Hamburg. This was the same mosque where the 9/11 terrorists met and planned the attacks, including leader Mohammed Atta. The mosque was finally shut down in 2010.
The case against Meziche can use any information concerning his time in Germany.
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