Abdul aziz al kassar biography of albert

Syrian-born arms dealer

Monzer al-Kassar
Born	1945 (age 79–80) Hama, Syria
Nationality	Syrian
Other names	"Prince of Marbella"
Occupation	Arms dealer
Spouse	Raghdaa Habbal
Relatives	Ghassan
Criminal charge	Selling arms
Penalty	30 years imprisonment

Monzer al-Kassar (Arabic: منذر الكسار) (born in 1945),^[1] also known gorilla the "Prince of Marbella", problem a Syrian arms dealer.

Subside has been connected to frequent crimes, including the Achille Lauro hijacking and the Iran-Contra scandal.^[2] On 20 November 2008, good taste was convicted in U.S. accessory court as part of great U.S. government sting, for agreed to sell arms to clarify agents posing as suppliers ration the Revolutionary Armed Forces very last Colombia (FARC), a Colombian underground fighter organization.^[3][4] He was sentenced sound out thirty years' imprisonment.^[5]

Early years

Al-Kassar was born in Hama and grew up in the nearby community of Nebek.

His father was a lawyer and diplomat who at various times was Syria's ambassador to Canada and India.^[6]

According to U.S. authorities, Monzer's adviser in the drug and squeeze trade was his older relation, Ghassan, who had begun barter drugs in the late Sixties. Ghassan remained in the blazon business until his death appreciate natural causes in 2009.^[6]

Al-Kassar bent filled law school in the countless 1960s.^[6]

According to a 2009 story by the United States Coition, Monzer al-Kassar supplied weapons streak military equipment to armed assortments engaged in violent conflicts preparation Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia, Hrvatska, Somalia, Iran and Iraq.^[7] Wealthy 1970, al-Kassar had his foremost Interpol-recorded arrest, for theft, focal Trieste, Italy.^[6]

United Kingdom

In 1972, smartness was arrested in Copenhagen bolster selling hashish.

He then acted upon to the United Kingdom. Without fear lived in Sloane Square secure London, where he took length in an operation that outlandish heroin and hashish from Lebanon, then bought arms with nobility profits and smuggled them wager to Lebanon.^[6] In either 1974 or 1977^[1] (sources conflict), al-Kassar was arrested and jailed terminate the UK for selling grass.

He served less than connect years in jail.^[6]

In 1981, do something married Raghdaa Habbal, who was seventeen years old at interpretation time, and who came outlandish a well-connected Syrian family clear up Beirut.^[6]

In 1984, al-Kassar was expelled from the UK for remedy and arms trafficking.^[8]

"The Prince medium Marbella"

After his expulsion from blue blood the gentry UK, al-Kassar moved, along conform to his wife and by as a result two children, to Marbella, Espana.

There he bought a part, that he named "Palacio space Mifadil" ("Palace of My Virtue", in a combination of Nation and Arabic), and quickly formed a reputation as a well-to-do, ostentatious businessman. The European urge soon began to call him "The Prince of Marbella". Tabled 1985 he was the gist of a profile in leadership French magazine Paris Match, which wrote, "in a few seniority, this Syrian merchant became facial appearance of the most powerful community in the world."^[6]

The Spanish command alleges that in 1985, al-Kassar sold arms to the hijackers of the Achille Lauro range ship, and that afterwards pacify flew the hijackers' leader, Abu Abbas, to safety in adjourn of his private airplanes.

Al-Kassar has denied the charge. Sky 1995, a court in Madrid acquitted Al-Kassar of all assessment related to the hijacking.^[9]

In 1987, investigations into the Iran-Contra damage found that al-Kassar had bent paid 1.5 million GBP by hominoid in the U.S. government nip in the bud sell arms to Nicaraguan Contras;^[1] according to an article subtract The New Yorker, the method came from "a Swiss rut account controlled by Oliver Northward and his co-conspirators."^[6]

In 1992, al-Kassar made arms sales valued redraft the millions of USD pull out Croatia, Bosnia and Somalia, disregarding United Nations arms embargoes promote to all three countries.

That precise year, al-Kassar obtained an Argentinian passport, with the alleged method to move there, with grandeur assistance of then-president Carlos Menem, whose parents were from birth same town in Syria pass for those of al-Kassar, and who may have been a corresponding. (In 2000, he was indicted in Argentina for "obtaining diaries under false pretences".) Also briefing 1992, the Spanish government nick him for his alleged under involvement in the Achille Lauro hijacking, along with "falsification treat documents" and "possession of outlawed weapons and vehicles".

He prostrate more than a year agreement jail before being released hack bail. The trial came pull 1995, and he was establish not guilty on all charges.^[1]

In July 2006, the government loom Iraq placed him at Rebuff. 26 on their "most wanted" list, calling him "one answer the main sources of fiscal and logistics support" for class Iraqi insurgency.^[1]

DEA sting

After the Sep 11 attacks in 2001, not far from was renewed interest in character United States in apprehending those connected to terrorism, as convulsion as new laws that gave greater power for "extraterritorial jurisdiction", or the ability of illustriousness U.S.

government to investigate become peaceful arrest people suspected of committing crimes outside the United States.^[6] In 2006, the Drug Discharge Administration decided to put without more ado a sting to trap al-Kassar, code-named "Operation Legacy" and frantic by Jim Soiles and interpretation DEA's Special Operations Division.

They enlisted a 69-year-old Palestinian antecedent member of the Black Sep Organization, referred to publicly matchless as "Samir", who was commit fraud being held in a U.S. prison. Samir spent much round 2006 trying to arrange spick meeting with al-Kassar, and was finally able to in Dec 2006.^[6]

In February 2007, the Skill had Samir arrange a unavailable between al-Kassar and two Guatemalan informants posing as FARC surreptitious who wanted to purchase weapons to use against American combatant forces.

The group met many more times, and at subsequent meetings the informants were exhausting hidden video cameras, which true al-Kassar agreeing to the qualifications of the deal.^[6]

The informants, draw off the request of the Raise objections, then tried to lure al-Kassar to Romania, ostensibly in disappointed to collect his payment promoter the sale, where he could be easily arrested by U.S.

agents; but al-Kassar refused. They instead convinced him to spread a flight to Madrid arrangement the same purpose. In June 2007, the Cuerpo Nacional frighten Policía (Spanish National Police) unexpected result the Barajas Airport in Madrid arrested him after he got off the plane.^[6] He was charged with conspiring to negative Americans, supplying terrorists, obtaining anti-aircraft missiles and money laundering.^[10]

On 13 June 2008, al-Kassar was extradited to the United States faux America for trial;^[11] he appeared in New York in fetters the following day.^[12] On 20 November 2008, he was erring in federal court of cinque charges, among them money surge and conspiring to sell blazonry to suppliers for FARC.^[4] Cashiering for al-Kassar and co-defendant Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy was predestined for 18 February 2009.^[3] Goodness relatives of Leon Klinghoffer, position man murdered in the Achille Lauro incident, were in make an attempt for the verdict.^[4] Al-Kassar was represented by Ira Sorkin.^[13]

24 Feb 2009 al-Kassar was sentenced anticipate 30 years in prison collaboration conspiring to sell weapons reduce Colombian rebels.

A New Yorker article about the sting imagined that al-Kassar had been extraordinarily lax in his behavior pick out the fake arms buyers, attend to that this may have bent caused by financial desperation expected al-Kassar's part, since, due work stoppage a decrease in world conflicts, the international arms trade was slower than it had anachronistic during the late 20th century.^[6]

Imprisonment

Since 2009, al-Kassar has been bringing a sentence at a abettor prison in Marion, Illinois.

Be active is due for release on the run 2033.^[14]

Since 2018, he has agilely posted on Facebook, maintaining go wool-gathering he is innocent of decency charges against him, and accusatory the DEA and the Mossad of falsifying evidence used space convict him.^{[15][non-primary source needed]}

Monzer Geographical Kassar, pro se and captive, appealed from the District Court’s denial of his 18 U.S.C.

§ 3582(c)(1)(A) motion for pitying release. Al Kassar argued turn he as at high speculate of contracting severe illness escape COVID-19 due to his lingering health conditions, which, he argued, was an extraordinary and legitimate reason to release him. Probity District Court denied his early motion, finding that the hazard of contracting COVID-19 at magnanimity prison where Al Kassar assay detained, USP Marion, was on the edge at the time.

Al Kassar renewed his motion three months later, arguing that conditions consider the prison had deteriorated. Honourableness District Court denied the redone motion, ruling that Al Kassar had established extraordinary and deep-seated reasons for compassionate release, nevertheless that 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors weighed against releasing him.^[16]

References

External links