last updated: Aug. 20, 2021

FREED

  • Full name: Othman Akzinnay
  • Pseudonym: N/a
  • Alternatives: N/a
  • Location: Belgian, active in Belgium
  • Affiliation: Khalid Zerkani Network [KZN]

Othman Akzinnay is a little-known Islamist from Brussels. He was a senior operative of the Khalid Zerkani Network [KZN] in the early 2010s.1 Between 2012 and early 2014, Akzinnay and his associates recruited at least twenty jihadis from Belgium to fight in Iraq and Syria.2 He personally facilitated the travel of the recruits and provided them with guidance and financial support.3

Belgian authorities arrested Akzinnay during police operations against the KZN across the country in late February 2014.4 He was released in late July 2014.5 In May 2016, Akzinnay was sentenced to six years in jail by a Belgian court.6 Another court handed him a ten-year prison term on appeal in June 2017.7 Despite these convictions, Akzinnay was allowed to go free. He eventually spent some time in prison before being released early in June 2021.8

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