Man jailed for funding Stockholm suicide bomber

 

Nasserdine Menni: The Algerian, who used a false identity to claim
asylum in the UK, lived in Glasgow
Nasserdine Menni: The Algerian, who used a false identity to claim asylum in the UK, lived in Glasgow

An Algerian man convicted of funding a suicide bomb attack in Stockholm was jailed for seven years by a Scottish court yesterday.

Nasserdine Menni, who had used a false identity to claim asylum in the UK, sent £5,725 to bankroll the attack on the Swedish capital in December 2010.

The Iraqi-born bomber Taimour Abdulwahab died in the blast after detonating his explosive vest near the busy shopping street of Drottninggatan in the run-up to Christmas. Two devices strapped to his body initially failed to explode, preventing almost certain carnage in the crowded area.

Minutes earlier he had set alight an Audi car packed with gas canisters, hoping to send shoppers fleeing into his path. Two people were injured slightly in the fire but the vehicle failed to explode.

It was after retreating up a side street and attempting to fix the faulty trigger attached to his suicide vest that one of the devices went off, killing Abdulwahab instantly.

Sentence was passed amid tight security at Glasgow High Court where another charge of conspiracy to murder members of the Swedish public had been found not proven at the end of a 12-week trial.

Judge Lord Matthews said: "Funding provides assistance for those who would carry out terrorist acts. The sentencing of the court must reflect the potential use. Lawyers for Menni, who now faces expulsion from Britain, said he intended to appeal against his conviction.

The two men had become friends while living in Luton in 2005.

The link was discovered following a joint investigation by the FBI, the Swedish police and the French authorities.

The trial heard that Menni used money accrued through benefits and from working to send to a bank account held by Abdulwahab over a period of six years.

He used a series of false identities, eventually seeking asylum in Liverpool, where he claimed to be a Kuwaiti citizen. Menni, who later moved to Glasgow, denied knowing the money would be used for terrorism, insisting it was intended to pass on to his family in Algeria.

But the prosecution said he was a fellow extremist who approved of the plan to kill innocent shoppers. Some of the money was earmarked for Abdulwahab's widow while the rest was used to fund travel and the purchase of the car.

Menni was also convicted of immigration and benefit fraud and ordered to serve 30 months to run concurrently with the other sentence.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Please enter a valid email
Please enter a valid email
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Please enter your first name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
Please enter your last name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
You must be over 18 years old to register
You must be over 18 years old to register
Opt-out-policy
You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe.

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in