STATUS UNKNOWN
- Full name: Moussa Lghoul
- Pseudonym: Abu Illias, “Topa de Barbaar”
- Alternatives: Moussa el-Ghoul
- Location: Netherlands
- Affiliation: Schilderswijk Jihadi Network [SJN]
Moussa Lghoul (°1974) is an Islamist of Moroccan descent from Den Haag’s Schilderswijk suburb. He was involved in petty crime as a young man.1 In 2005, Lghoul tried to turn his life around by becoming a rapper. He was approached by European Union representatives to take part in a musical campaign in support of the adoption of the European constitution.2 His music career failed however. In the late 2000s, Lghoul became drawn to radical Salafism and began to associate with members of the local Islamist community who later formed the Schilderswijk Jihadi Network, including Azzedine Choukoud and Rudolph Holierhoek.3 At one point, he reportedly joined Choukoud in visiting jihadi recruiter Omar el-Haddouti in Morocco.
Lghoul became an active proponent for the jihadi cause on social media and called upon followers to go fight in Syria.4 At the same time, he also participated in protests staged by the SJN’s various front organizations. Lghoul briefly fled to Morocco after he had come under investigation by child protection services for having shown videos of executions by jihadis to his nine-year-old son.5 Lghoul also issued death threats to a Dutch policewoman.6 In October 2014, Lghoul turned himself in to police in Den Haag.7 He was charged with participation in the SJN’s activities and was released after having spent more than a month in jail.8 On Dec. 10, 2015, a Dutch court sentenced him to 43 days in prison.9
References