Moussa Zemmouri (Jihadi Militant, Belgium)

• Full name: Moussa Zemmouri
• Pseudonym: N/a
• Alternatives: N/a
• Location: Belgium, Afghanistan
• Affiliation: Soufiane el-Houari Module [SHM], fmr Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group [GICM]

Moussa Zemmouri (°1978) is a Belgian jihadi of Moroccan descent. He was born in the Antwerp suburb of Wilrijk. Zemmouri first became involved in terrorism when he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in late 2000 to study at local seminaries.¹ He joined the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group [GICM; Groupe Islamique Combatant Marocain] and reportedly received training at al-Qa’ida’s infamous Derunta camp in Afghanistan.² Zemmouri is also said to have served as a member of the GICM’s religious council at the time.³

The Pakistani authorities arrested him in late 2001 as he fled Afghanistan following the start of American operations against jihadis operating in the country.⁴ Upon his capture, Zemmouri was carrying al-Qa’ida instructions to carry out attacks.⁵ Pakistan subsequently handed him over to the American authorities. Zemmouri was held at the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay between 2002 and 2005.⁶

Following his release, Zemmouri returned to Belgium where he was charged with membership of the GICM. At his trial in 2009, a Belgian court dropped charges against him due to insufficient evidence. Zemmouri later coauthored a book titled “Innocent in Guantánamo” and his story was featured in the Belgian press.⁷ He became involved with the British “Cage Prisoners” association which was founded by jihadis formerly held at Guantanamo Bay. The organization was supportive of Anwar al-Awlaki.⁸ At the same time, Zemmouri was seen as an influential figure in radical Salafi circles in Antwerp. In 2010, he filed a complaint against the Belgian state for having failed to intervene on his behalf.⁹

In the mid-2010s, Zemmouri was suspected of having inspired several youths to fight in Syria.¹⁰ He also became linked to the Soufiane el-Houari Module [SHM]. Zemmouri was arrested in July 2015 when the SHM was rolled up following a failed robbery attempt in the Hoboken suburb of Antwerp.¹¹ In July 2016, a Belgian court gave him a suspended jail sentence for his involvement with the SHM.¹²