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- Full name: Farouk Seifeddin Ben Abbes
- Pseudonym: Abu Musab
- Alternatives: N/a
- Location: Belgium, fmr France, fmr Egypt, fmr Gaza Strip
- Affiliation: Artigat and Toulouse Network [FAT], fmr Army of Islam Group in the Holy House [JaIF]
Farouk Ben Abbes (°1985) is a Tunisian information technology specialist and jihadi who grew up as the son of a Muslim religious scholar in the Molenbeek suburb of Brussels.1 In the early 2000s, Ben Abbes turned to radical Salafism under the influence of Abdelkrim Aznagui and Malika el-Aroud.2 After reaching maturity, Ben Abbes left his parents’ home following disagreements over his mother’s clothing and his father’s moderate religious interpretations.3 Around 2003, Ben Abbes got acquainted with Fabien Clain at Aznagui’s Islamic center.4 They became close friends.5 He was introduced to Clain’s associates in the Artigat and Toulouse Network [FAT; Filière d’Artigat et Toulouse] and made several trips to France in the following years.6
Ben Abbes twice visited Saudi Arabia in 2006. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca and spent four months in Medina.7 During his stay in the kingdom, Ben Abbes became active on the Ansar al-Haq francophone jihadi forum.8 He returned to Belgium for some time before joining Clain in the Egyptian capital city in mid-2007.9 Ben Abbes reportedly studied theology at Salafi seminaries in Cairo while continuing to help administer the jihadi forum.10
In the beginning of 2008, Ben Abbes crossed into the Gaza Strip where he quickly joined al-Qa’ida-linked Army of Islam Group in the Holy House [JaIF; Jama’at Jaish al-Islam fi-Bait al-Maqdis].11 He would spend thirteen months with the outfit in the territory.12 During this time, Ben Abbes was reportedly given training in explosives handling.13 He grew close to senior Egyptian JaIF operative Khalid Abulkhair and served as his translator.14 During his stay in the Gaza Strip, Ben Abbes really stepped up his online jihadi activity. Through Abulkhair, he became associated with the Global Islamic Media Front [GIMF] and used the Ansar al-Haq forum to disseminate hundreds of its messages.15 Ben Abbes was designated as a “special envoy” of the al-Qa’ida-affiliated media unit.16
Ben Abbes was furthermore involved in the JaIF’s attempts to expand its area of operations to Egypt and Europe. Egyptian security forces have connected him to the February 2009 bomb attack that targeted French tourists visiting a market in central Cairo, killing a Parisian student.17 In the meanwhile, Ben Abbes was also making vague plans to attack the Jewish community in France. Among the targets studied by him were the Jewish-owned Bataclan concert hall in Paris and a community center in the Saint-Denis suburb.18 Following a tip from Syrian security elements, Egyptian authorities managed to arrest him on Apr. 03, 2009 shortly after he had managed to enter the country from the Gaza Strip.19 Upon his arrest, Ben Abbes was carrying memory drives with messages from JaIF elements as well as instructions and terrorist manuals.20 Egyptian agents allegedly subjected him to intensive interrogation and got information about his dealings with jihadi entities but were unable to definitively tie him to the February 2009 bombing.21
Ben Abbes was expelled to Belgium on Mar. 08, 2010.22 He was put under surveillance but nevertheless managed to travel to neighboring France. Police arrested him in the department of the Moselle on Jul. 20, 2010.23 French authorities tried to charge him for his role in the 2009 attack but were unable to get evidence from Egypt and eventually had to release him in September 2012.24 Although free, Ben Abbes was kept under very close watch by French security services. He lived in Grenoble and the suburbs of Paris before eventually moving to Toulouse.25 He worked odd jobs, but usually lived off state welfare.26 Ben Abbes was in contact with the then Syrian-based Clain in late 2015 and was put under house arrest following the devastating November 2015 attacks in Paris.27 He was twice arrested for violating the conditions of his confinement. A court eventually handed him a three-month prison sentence.28 During this time, Ben Abbes was also caught stealing fuel and booked for driving without permit.29 In June 2016, French authorities expelled him from Toulouse for the period that European soccer championship matches were being played in the city over worries that he might launch attacks.30 Ben Abbes was forced to settle in a small village in the Aude department for some weeks. His presence caused friction with locals and police even had to stop a man from attacking him at one point.
In July 2016, Ben Abbes was put on an airplane for deportation to Tunisia but the authorities hauled him off the flight just before takeoff.31 Later that summer, French authorities were forced to pay him compensation for his pretrial stint in prison between 2010 and 2011.32 He was eventually taken to court for his role in propagating for al-Qa’ida, inciting jihad and recruiting fighters while serving as the administrator of the Ansar al-Haq forum.33 A court sentenced him to four years in prison in July 2018.34 On Jul. 03, 2019, his sentence was reduced to three years imprisonment on appeal.35 After serving his term, Ben Abbes was expelled to Belgium in late January 2021.36 He has since then lived in Brussels with his relatives.
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