1998 World Cup terror plot

Last updated

France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Paris
Red pog.svg
Stade Vélodrome
Red pog.svg
Civaux
class=notpageimage|
Potential targets

From March to May 1998, a terror plot against the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France was uncovered by European law enforcement agencies. [1] [2] More than 100 people were arrested in seven countries as a result of the plot, although only some of them were tried or convicted. [3] Organised by the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and backed by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the plot is thought to have targeted the England–Tunisia match on 15 June 1998, and involved infiltrating the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille in order to attack players and spectators during the game, attack the hotel in Paris hosting the United States national team, and finally hijacking an aircraft and crashing it into the Civaux Nuclear Power Plant near Poitiers. [3]

Contents

Raids and arrests

The original suspect of the plot was French-Algerian Farid Melouk, who had previously been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison in France for his connection to the 1995 Paris Métro and RER bombings. [4] [5] [6] Melouk had reportedly been tracked by intelligence services following his entry into Belgium, where he was found to be in contact with Ahmed Zaoui and a GIA-linked Brussels mosque. [7] On 3 March, after two weeks of surveillance, 50 police officers stormed a house where Melouk was staying with others involved in the plot. [8] Ten people including Swedish and Danish nationals were arrested in the 12-hour siege, amid a series of anti-terrorism raids in Belgium. [2] [4] [5] Large amounts of liquid explosives were found during the raid, as well as detonators, a Kalashnikov rifle, several handguns and thousands of US dollars in cash. [8] [9] In addition, a large number of documents, brochures and maps relating to the World Cup were retrieved. [8] [9] More explosives were uncovered in a follow-up raid of another house. [2]

The March raid was part of a joint security operation between Belgium, France, Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom. [2] Despite initial Belgian claims denying links to any plot against the World Cup, the plot was later confirmed by the French counter-intelligence chief. [10] Melouk was sentenced to 9 years in prison for charges including attempted murder. [10] In early May, eight suspected militants linked to the plot were arrested in the United Kingdom. [9] [11]

On 26 May, 88 people were detained in co-ordinated operations across France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. [1] [2] [10] In France, 53 men including Algerian, French and Tunisian nationals suspected of links to ex-GIA commander Hassan Hattab were detained across 43 locations, including in Marseilles, Paris, Lyon and Corsica; [9] [12] 40 were released within two days. [13] Five Algerians were arrested in Germany after raids across several cities, ten in Belgium, two in Switzerland, six in Italy, and many more detained. [9] [14] The French Interior Minister, Jean-Pierre Chevènement, said on French television after the arrests that investigators had found evidence of plots to attack the World Cup. [1] Islamist paraphernalia and $150,000 in cash were found during the raids, but no explosives or arms. [1] [9] 24 people were taken to trial, of which eight were convicted. [13] Some police sources have said that a goal of the May raids was to crush GIA support networks. [9] According to one counterterrorism official, the resort to mass arrests during this period which included several other cases such as those of the "Chalabi network" reflected the need for intelligence about radical Islamist networks. [13] According to a counter-terrorism magistrate, Jean-Louis Bruguière, the May raids were a preventive measure to protect the tournament. [2]

Plot and aftermath

The plot involved terrorists infiltrating the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille as stadium crew, in order to attack English players and spectators during the England- Tunisia match on 15 June. [3] Although Osama bin Laden had a rented place in the stands of Arsenal Football Club, he wanted to destroy English football. [15] Terrorists had reportedly planned to blow up the England substitute bench (targeting youngsters David Beckham and Michael Owen), shoot English players and throw grenades into the stands. [16] [17] Other terrorists were then to storm the United States national team's hotel in Paris and attack American players watching the game there. [3] The attacks would be followed by the hijacking of an aircraft by another group of terrorists to be crashed into the Civaux Nuclear Power Plant near Poitiers, causing a nuclear meltdown. [3]

The details, and even existence, of the plot were kept secret from managers, players and the media, but were known to security services including The Football Association staff. [16] In 2009, the England manager in 1998, Glenn Hoddle, revealed that he had only been informed of the plot "years later", while the FA's Director of Communications during 1998, David Davies, said that he had been informed of the plot before the match by the FA's Head of Security, Brian Hayes. [16] The match was otherwise marred by supporter riots in Marseille, with British vehicles being bricked while bottles were thrown across the streets, causing police to use tear gas as large numbers of supporters were injured and arrested. [16]

Although organised by GIA operatives, the plot reportedly had the backing and support of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. [18] Laden funded and assisted in the development of the murder plan, promised to provide additional financial support for implementation and weapons, and participated in the training of key GIA individuals at an al-Qaeda training camp. [15] According to the bin Laden biographer, Yossef Bodansky, the World Cup plot being foiled was one of the reasons for "dormant terrorist networks" responsible for the August 1998 United States embassy bombings being "reactivated". [3] [19]

A terror plot against the UEFA Euro 2000 was discovered after Dutch intelligence services intercepted calls made between GIA operatives from inside French prisons. [20] Three men were detained in French prisons as a result of the plot, and three were subsequently arrested in the Netherlands. [20] One of the French prisoners detained for the plot was Adel Mechat, who served six years in prison after having been arrested in Germany and extradited to France as part of the 1998 World Cup raids. [3] [20]

On the night before the first-ever football match between France and Algeria in October 2001, police seized explosives and arrested four Islamist militants suspected of having targeted the game after a phone call had been intercepted with warnings to stay away from the Stade de France. Other items retrieved included bulletproof vests and explosives manuals. [10] [21] The match itself was marred with controversy and was eventually stopped with 15 minutes playing time left after Algerian fans stormed the field. [10] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osama bin Laden</span> Saudi-born militant and founder of al-Qaeda (1957–2011)

Osama bin Laden was a Saudi-born Islamic dissident and militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his organisation is designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, and various other countries. He is most widely known as the mind behind the September 11 attacks in the United States.

The following timeline is a chronological list of all the major events leading up to, during, and immediately following the September 11 attacks against the United States in 2001, through the first anniversary of the attacks in 2002.

In 2001, a network of interconnected terrorist cells in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands was uncovered by law enforcement. The network had connections to al-Qaeda and was planning to commit one or more bombings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 millennium attack plots</span> Planned terrorist attacks linked to al-Qaeda in the year 2000

A series of Islamist terrorist attacks linked to al-Qaeda were planned to occur on or near January 1, 2000, in the context of millennium celebrations, including bombing plots against four tourist sites in Jordan, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), USS The Sullivans, and the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singapore embassies attack plot</span> Failed 2001 Jemaah Islamiyah terror plot

The Singapore embassies attack plot was a plan in 2001 by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) to bomb the diplomatic missions and attack personnel of the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Israel based in Singapore. There were also several other targets. The plot was uncovered in December 2001 and as many as 15 people were arrested in Singapore within a month. Further investigation and intelligence prompted the detention of another 26 persons from 2002 to 2005. As of 2006, 37 of them were still being detained without trial, under the Internal Security Act. Four had been released on restriction orders.

Islamic terrorism refers to terrorist acts with religious motivations carried out by fundamentalist militant Islamists and Islamic extremists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 France bombings</span> Terror attacks by Algerian militants

A series of attacks targeted public transport systems in Paris and Lyon, as well as a school in Villeurbanne, in 1995. They were carried out by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), who sought to expand the Algerian Civil War to France. The attacks killed eight people, all during the first attack on 25 July. The attack also injured 190 people.

In December 2000, an al-Qaeda-linked plot to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market, at the feet of the Strasbourg Cathedral, on New Year's Eve was discovered. The plot was foiled by French and German police after a terrorist network based in Frankfurt, Germany, the "Frankfurt group", was unravelled. A total of fourteen people were convicted as part of the plot; four in Germany and ten in France, including the operational leader, Mohammed Bensakhria, thought to be a European deputy to Osama bin Laden. The alleged mastermind of the plot was thought to have been Abu Doha, who was detained in the United Kingdom.

Abdul Nacer Benbrika, also known as Abu Bakr, is a convicted criminal, who served a custodial sentence of fifteen years, with a non-parole period of twelve years, for intentionally being the leader and a member of a terrorist organisation. Benbrika was one of 17 men arrested in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne in November 2005, charged with being members of a terrorist organisation and of planning terrorist attacks on targets within Australia. Benbrika is alleged to be the spiritual leader of the group. All 17 men pleaded not guilty. On 15 September 2008 Benbrika was found guilty as charged and subsequently sentenced.

Afghan Arabs are Arab and other Muslim Islamist mujahideen who came to Afghanistan during and following the Soviet–Afghan War to help fellow Muslims fight Soviets and the pro-Soviet Afghans in the DRA Despite being called "Afghan" they were not from Afghanistan nor legally citizens of Afghanistan.

The Tunisian Combatant Group or TCG was a loose network of terrorists with connections to Al-Qaeda that was founded in 2000 and aspired to install an Islamist government in Tunisia. According to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), TCG is believed to have had terrorist cells in France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and in the United Kingdom. By the 2010s, after its founders had been arrested and a long period of silence, it was not clear whether the group still existed.

The following is a list of attacks which have been carried out by Al-Qaeda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1998 United States embassy bombings</span> Attacks on US Embassies in Africa

The 1998 United States embassy bombings were attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998. More than 220 people were killed in nearly simultaneous truck bomb explosions in two Capital East African cities, one at the United States Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and the other at the United States Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.

Abu Abdul-Rahman Amine, born Djamel bin Mohamed Zitouni, was the leader of the Algerian Armed Islamic Group (1994–1996), a terrorist group responsible for carrying out a series of bombings in France in 1995. He was killed by a rival faction on July 16, 1996.

Osama bin Laden, a militant Islamist and reported founder of al-Qaeda, in conjunction with several other Islamic militant leaders, issued two fatawa – in 1996 and then again in 1998—that military personnel from the United States and allied countries until they withdraw support for Israel and withdraw military forces from Islamic countries. He was indicted in United States federal court for his alleged involvement in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, and was on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qaeda activities in Europe</span>

The international activities of Al-Qaeda includes involvements in Europe, where members of the group have been involved in militant and terrorist activities in several countries. Al-Qaeda has been responsible for or involved in attacks in Western Europe and Russia, including the 2004 Madrid train bombings, 2010 Moscow Metro bombings, 2011 Domodedovo International Airport bombing, and the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks.

The 2010 European terror plot was an alleged al-Qaeda plot to launch "commando-style" terror attacks on the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The existence of the plot was revealed in late September 2010 after it was disrupted by intelligence agencies. Thought to be ordered by Osama bin Laden himself, the plot led to an unprecedented increase in drone attacks in Pakistan and travel advisories from several countries to their citizens to be careful while traveling in Europe.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., by the al-Qaeda terrorist group, a number of investigations were conducted to determine what intelligence may have existed before the attacks and whether this information was ignored by authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels Islamic State terror cell</span> Group who carried out Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks

The Brussels Islamic State terror cell was a group involved in large-scale terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March 2016. The terror cell was connected to the Islamic State (IS), a jihadist terrorist organisation primarily based in Syria and Iraq.

Farid Melouk is a French-Algerian former member of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and convicted terrorist, known for his central role in jihadist networks.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "European Police Raids Target World Cup Terrorist Threat". The Los Angeles Times. 27 May 1998.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Europe Overview". Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1998. Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, United States Department of State. April 1999.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kuper, Simon (18 November 2015). "Is football facing a new age of stadium terrorism after Paris attacks?". ESPN FC.
  4. 1 2 "Belgians Arrest Suspect In Paris Bombings" . The New York Times. 6 March 1998.
  5. 1 2 "Bruxelles : échec au réseau du GIA". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 6 March 1998.
  6. ↑ "Anschläge bei Fußball-WM?". Der Spiegel (in German). 16 March 1998.
    - "Silhouette". La Croix (in French). 10 November 1998.
    - "Le repaire belge du terrorisme". La Libre Belgique (in French). 14 September 2001.
  7. ↑ Robinson, 2002, p. 172
  8. 1 2 3 Robinson, 2002, p. 173
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lia, Brynjar; Kjøk, Åshild (8 August 2001). "Islamist Insurgencies, Diasporic Support Networks, and their Host States: The Case of the Algerian GIA in Europe 1993–2000" (PDF). Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI): 41–43.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chronology: The Plots". Frontline. PBS. 25 January 2005.
  11. ↑ Robinson, 2002, p. 180
  12. ↑ Robinson, 2002, pp. 190–191
  13. 1 2 3 Preempting Justice: Counterterrorism Laws and Procedures in France. Human Rights Watch (Report). 1 July 2008.
  14. ↑ Robinson, 2002, pp. 188–189
  15. 1 2 "FIFA World Cup 98': Chilling details of Osama Bin Laden's terror plot targeting England football team". Times Now News. India. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Harris, Harry (8 October 2009). "England terrorist plot revealed". ESPN FC.
  17. ↑ Dubois, Laurent (2010). Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France . University of California Press. p.  181. ISBN   9780520259287.
  18. ↑ Cull, Nicholas J. (2003). "Osama bin Laden". In Cull, Nicholas John; Culbert, David Holbrook; Welch, David (eds.). Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present. ABC-CLIO. p. 222. ISBN   9781576078204.
  19. ↑ Kuper, Simon (26 May 2002). "The World's Game Is Not Just A Game" . The New York Times Magazine.
  20. 1 2 3 "Gun guard on French soccer stars". ESPN Soccernet. 20 June 2000.
  21. 1 2 "International Football: Seventeen held as Algerian fans invade pitch". The Telegraph. 7 October 2001.

Sources


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.