Abu Doha

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Amar Makhlulif alias Abu Doha is an Algerian alleged to be member of the al-Qaeda and GSPC terrorist networks. He was arrested at Heathrow in February of 2001 while attempting to travel to Saudi Arabia on a forged passport^[1]. Makhlulif is wanted in the United States, having been identified by Ahmed Ressam as the leader of the plot to bomb the Los Angeles airport during Christmas and millenium celebrations^[1]. Makhlulif is also wanted in France^[1] for plotting to bomb cafés outside Strasbourg Cathedral. Another plotter, Slimane Khalfaoui, was picked up in the UK and extradicted to France, where he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years^[2]. Four more of Abu Doha's affiliates have been sentenced in Germany to terms of from 10 to 12 years for that plot^[3]. In reading the sentence, the judge said that Abu Doha had exhorted them to commit that attack. Italy wants him too, over a plot to bomb the American embassy in Rome, in collaboration with al-Qaeda's Milan cell^[1]. But, as of November 2006, Makhlulif is still in the maximum-security Belmarsh prison, while the British government seeks permission from the British courts merely to return him to his native Algeria on an immigration violation^[4].

Makhlulif is alleged to have been an al-Qaeda recruiter, and a trainer at, or even the founder of, al-Qaeda's Khalden training camp in Afghanistan^[5], and at least a cell leader in GSPC. Makhlulif is described in some reports^[6]^[7] as the "paymaster" of al-Qaeda's London component.