STATUS UNKNOWN
- Full name: Bilal Soughir
- Pseudonym: N/a
- Alternatives: N/a
- Location: Belgian, active in Belgium, Kenya
- Affiliation: Bilal Soughir Network [BSN]
Bilal Soughir (°ca 1974) is a Belgian jihadi of Tunisian descent. He is the son of an Islamic teacher who long worked as an agent of the Libyan regime of Mu’ammar Kadhafi.1 Soughir’s father was expelled by the Belgian authorities in 1992 after he had held a sign with a hateful message during an anti-Western demonstration in Brussels.2 His wife and children remained in Belgium.3
In the mid-1990s, Soughir and his brothers were deeply involved in criminal activities. The Soughirs were charged with dozens of crimes, including armed robbery and drugs dealing.4 They were also known for their rebellious nature and confrontational attitude towards the police in the Brussels’ suburb of Sint-Joost-ten-Noode where they lived. In September 1995, the brothers and fifty friends and family members rioted in front of the local police station following an attempt to arrest one of them.5 In October of that year, a court convicted Bilal Soughir for theft.6 Despite this conviction, he received Belgian nationality in 2002.7
Soughir soon afterwards became involved in jihadi activities. He was interested in helping jihadis fighting against the American army in Iraq and came into contact with representatives of the Organization of the Jihadi Base in Mesopotamia [AQI; Tanzim Qa’idat al-Jihad fi-Bilad al-Rafidain].8 Soughir became the head of a small support network. He soon started recruiting Belgian jihadis to fight in Iraq and facilitated their travel to the country.9 These fighters included Soughir’s brother who later died in battle.10 Soughir maintained close contacts with his recruits and acquaintances in Iraq and followed up on their activities.11
Soughir built relations with Islamists in countries such as Algeria, Jordan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.12 He also became linked to elements within the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group [GICM; Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain].13 At the same time, Soughir raised funds to support Islamist terrorism in several countries.14 In the summer of 2005, he traveled to Kenya where he reportedly offered financial support to the widows of fallen jihadis.15
In late 2005, Soughir famously sent a Belgian female terrorist to Iraq. She carried out a suicide car bomb attack against an American military convoy in Ba’quba on Nov. 09, 2005.16 Five Iraqi policemen were killed in the attack. The next day, her husband was killed by American troops as he tried to blow himself up.17 These incidents received considerable coverage in the press and put the Bilal Soughir Network [BSN] in the spotlight.
Soughir was arrested as police raided locations linked to his network on Nov. 30, 2005.18 At the time of his capture, he was allegedly preparing to travel to Iraq.19 In January 2008, a court sentenced him to ten years in prison.20 An appeals court reduced his sentence to a five-year prison term in June 2008.21 Soughir was freed after having served his sentence.22
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