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Viewing cable 07HAMBURG53, GERMANY'S FIRST "CYBER JIHADIST" INDICTED IN LOWER SAXONY

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07HAMBURG53 2007-07-20 10:44 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Hamburg
VZCZCXRO8074
RR RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAG #0053 2011044
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201044Z JUL 07
FM AMCONSUL HAMBURG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0169
INFO RUEHAG/AMCONSUL HAMBURG 0188
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0155
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS HAMBURG 000053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS, EUR/PPD, L/LEI, AND S/CT. 
JUSTICE FOR BARBARA BERMAN AND PATRICIA REEDY. 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER KJUS PREL ASEC KVPR GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY'S FIRST "CYBER JIHADIST" INDICTED IN LOWER SAXONY 
 
REF: A. A) BERLIN 1398 
     B. B) 06 BERLIN 3323 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: German police arrested Ibrahim Rashid on 
October 10, 2006 near Osnabrueck, Lower Saxony under a warrant 
issued by the German Federal High Court on September 28, 2006. 
On June 28, 2007 the Federal Prosecutor charged him with 28 
separate counts of recruiting members and supporters for 
Al-Qaeda and Al-Qaeda in Iraq during the time period of October 
6, 2005 to October 1, 2006.  While a trial date has not yet been 
determined, the spokesperson of the Celle Higher Appellate Court 
speculated that hearings will begin in late summer 2007. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
"Cyber Jihadist" Activities in Lower Saxony 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
2. (SBU) Ibrahim Rashid (37) is an Iraqi national who had been 
living in Georgsmarienhuette in the state of Lower Saxony, 
Germany for eight years prior to his arrest on October 10, 2006. 
 Since then, he has been in pre-trial custody.  The Federal 
Prosecutor's Office has accused Rashid of spreading statements 
by Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi 
over the internet.  The prosecutor claims that he did this in an 
open chat room called "Supporters of Jihadists" by playing 
real-time video and audio files, posting links to internet sites 
where these files were available, and pasting the texts of 
Al-Qaeda speeches in the chat window (Note: These speeches 
partially included instructions on how to commit terrorist acts. 
End Note.).  Rashid is accused of agreeing with the messages, 
calling for participation in Jihad, idealizing martyrdom, and 
reporting on "successful Mujaheddin attacks." 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
-------------------- 
German Federal High Court Only Partially Admitting Indictment 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
-------------------- 
 
3. (SBU) In a conversation with Pol/Econ Specialist, Celle 
Higher Appellate Court Spokesperson Dr. Stephanie Springer noted 
that the Federal Prosecutor originally wanted to charge Rashid 
with support of a terrorist organization.  However, Springer 
pointed out that in its May 16, 2007 landmark decision the 
German Federal High Court rejected that charge, arguing that 
following the revision of the German Penal Code in 2003, the 
mere promotion of terrorism, calls for Holy War and terrorist 
activities are no longer punishable (Note: Prior to the penal 
code changes in 2002 and 2003, every form of promotion of 
terrorist organizations or affirmative description of terrorist 
activities was indictable.  End Note.).  Therefore, the 
prosecution now needs to concretely prove that Rashid attempted 
to recruit members and supporters for Al-Qaeda. 
 
4. (SBU) COMMENT: Prior to the SPD-Greens revision of the German 
Legal Code in 2002-2003, promotion of terrorism and calls for 
Jihad were punishable.  The revision of this legislation is now 
haunting the prosecution in the Rashid trial, which is obliged 
to prove that Rashid not only expressed sympathy for and 
promoted terrorist acts, but also tried to recruit members and 
supporters for Al-Qaeda and Al-Qaeda in Iraq.  The case is the 
first of its kind in Germany in that the accused is being 
charged as a recruiter even though he is not charged of formally 
belonging to either Al-Qaeda or Al-Qaeda in Iraq.  Also, it is 
the first time that a "cyber Jihadist" is accused in Germany. 
 
5. (SBU) The case also has the potential to further fuel the 
national debate on online investigations and preventative 
observation (Ref A).  The Rashid case demonstrates that 
preventative observation can deliver results and seems to have 
motivated Lower Saxony to consider altering existing laws to 
make such observation constitutional.  In July 2005, the Federal 
Constitutional Court had ruled against a measure in Lower 
Saxony's police law permitting preventative observation because 
the law was not "differentiated enough."  However, shortly after 
Rashid's arrest Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Schuenemann 
announced that the state was considering how to alter the 
measure and reinsert it into its police law.  In June 2007, the 
Lower Saxony Parliament began debates on changes to the police 
law that would permit limited preventative observation.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
6. (U) This message has been coordinate with Embassy Berlin. 
 
BUTCHER