Montreal, Canada – Iraqi Jew A U.S. Expert Testifies Under Heavy Security At Trial of Alleged Quebec Terrorist

Montreal, Canada – Under heavy security, an American expert began testifying on Tuesday as the Crown’s final witness against a Quebec man facing international terrorism charges.

Rita Katz was whisked in and out of Montreal’s courthouse through restricted stairwells, away from television cameras and with security always on her heels at the trial of Said Namouh.

Namouh, 36, is facing four terrorism-related charges including conspiracy, participating in a terrorist act, facilitating such an act and committing extortion for a terrorist group.

Katz, an Iraqi-born Jew who was raised in Israel and now lives in the United States, is director of the site Intelligence Group, which tracks global terror networks, intercepts messages and provides advance warnings of attacks to private clients including government agencies.

The Washington-based counterterrorism organization spends much of its time trolling forums and mining websites for information on terrorist activities.

The Crown contends that Namouh is a member of the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), an organization involved in propaganda and jihad recruitment and which is described as a media tool for al-Qaida.

The Crown alleges that Namouh put the final touches on some instructional and propaganda videos broadcast on the Internet.

Katz, 45, said the GIMF is one of the oldest and most prominent of the virtual propaganda groups supporting the international jihad, although its membership is largely kept a secret.

“What is known about the GIMF is that its members are jihadists who have taken on the duty of disseminating the propaganda of al-Qaida and other jihadist groups,” Katz said.

“At the same time, the GIMF provides potential jihadists with the tactical knowledge and tools needed to carry out jihad (holy war).”

While the GIMF does not appear on Canada’s list of recognized terrorist organizations, Katz testified its links to al-Qaida are clear and that it remains “one of the most prominent online jihadist media organizations.”

Namouh, a Moroccan native, was initially arrested for his alleged role in plotting terror attacks in Germany and Austria. His co-accused, an Austrian man named Mohammed Mahmoud, is described as a leader of the GIMF and has already been sentenced in Austria.

Several videos were found on Namouh’s computer including one on how to encrypt messages using GIMF software and another showing how to go about creating a suicide bomb vest.

Other videos make up much of the evidence against Namouh, as do thousands of pages of transcripts from chat and forum discussions snagged from his computer.

Katz described the Internet as a key tool in advancing the cause of terrorist organizations because costs are minimal and they are able to reach a wider audience.

“The Internet is what enables jihadists to co-ordinate, share information, recruit new members, and propagate their ideology,” Katz said.

The Internet has emerged as the key training and recruitment tool with the closure of al-Qaida training camps following the end of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Katz said.

Namouh, who has permanent residence status in Canada, has been detained since his arrest in September 2007 in Maskinonge, a small town northeast of Montreal.

Namouh’s lawyer, Rene Duval, has said his defence will be based on freedom of speech – that having possession of the videos does not necessarily constitute an illegal act.

Katz continues her testimony on Wednesday when she is expected to link Namouh’s online activities to the GIMF.