Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 5508 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02 2011/03
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07 2011/02/08 2011/02/09 2011/02/10 2011/02/11 2011/02/12 2011/02/13 2011/02/14 2011/02/15 2011/02/16 2011/02/17 2011/02/18 2011/02/19 2011/02/20 2011/02/21 2011/02/22 2011/02/23 2011/02/24 2011/02/25 2011/02/26 2011/02/27 2011/02/28
2011/03/01 2011/03/02 2011/03/03 2011/03/04 2011/03/05 2011/03/06 2011/03/07 2011/03/08 2011/03/09 2011/03/10 2011/03/11 2011/03/13 2011/03/14

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08 1990/10
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone Consulate Guadalajara
Embassy Helsinki Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hermosillo Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Ljubljana Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Mbabane Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Malabo Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey Consulate Milan
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AR ASEC AEMR AORC AJ AF AMGT ACOA AO AE AU AFIN AX AMED ADCO AG AODE APER AFFAIRS AC AS AM AL ASIG ABLD ABUD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AVERY APCS AER ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG AEC APECO AGMT ATRN
BA BR BL BO BH BTIO BEXP BU BIDEN BM BK BY BG BE BF BB BC BBSR BMGT BRUSSELS BTIU BILAT BX
CO CS CH COUNTER CVIS CASC CDG CI CU CIS CA CBW CF CM CLINTON CMGT CE CN CJAN CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CY CG CD CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CJUS CARSON CL CODEL COUNTERTERRORISM CIA CACM CDB CV CAN
DR DA DHS DOE DEA DK DJ DISENGAGEMENT DS DTRA DOD DEAX
ETTC EG ECON EINV EFIN ETRD EAGR ELAB ENRG ECPS EWWT EUN EAID EU EAIR ECIN EPET ER EINT EIND EMIN ELTN EFIS EI EN ES EC EXTERNAL EINVETC ENVR ENIV EZ EINN ENGR EUR ECA ET ESA ELN ENERG EK ENGY ETRO ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS ETRDEINVTINTCS ESENV ENVI EFTA ELECTIONS ECUN EINVEFIN ECIP EINDETRD EUC EREL ECONEFIN
FR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FARC FBI FJ FMLN FINR
GE GG GR GM GH GTIP GV GT GOI GCC GAZA GZ GA GANGS GTMO
HUMAN HILLARY HO HA HYMPSK HR HU HURI HK HSTC
IS IAEA IC IZ IR IT ITPHUM IV IPR IWC IQ IN IO ID ICTY ISRAELI IRAQI IIP ICRC ICAO IMO IF ILC IEFIN INRB INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF INR IRC ITALY ITALIAN INTERPOL IRAJ INRA INRO
JOSEPH JA JO JP JOHNNIE JUS JAMES
KCRM KPAL KNNP KDEM KE KWMN KPAO KJUS KGHG KN KS KISL KTIP KDRG KSCA KCOR KIPR KTLA KIRF KV KCFC KHLS KGIC KRAD KSPR KG KZ KTFN KTIA KHIV KWBG KACT KPRP KU KAWC KOLY KCIP KCFE KOCI KPKO KTDB KMRS KFRD KLIG KBCT KICC KMCA KGIT KSTC KMDR KUNR KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KVPR KOMC KAWK KO KTER KSUM KHUM KRFD KBIO KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KMPI KHDP KNPP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNAR KWMM KERG KFIN KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KTBT KCRS KRVC KSTH KREL KIRC KNSD KTEX KPAI KHSA KPLS KWAC KR KPWR KMIG KSEC KIFR KDEMAF KGCC KPIN KNUC KCOM KDEV
LY LE LG LH LI LU LO LOG LT
MASS MNUC MEPP MOPS MARR MTCRE MK MTRE MX MU MCAP ML MO MP MA MY MIL MDC MTCR MAR MEPI MRCRE MI MT MR MQADHAFI MD MAPS MUCN MASC MASSMNUC MERCOSUR MC MPOS MZ MOPPS MAPP MG MCC
NATO NE NS NPT NL NAR NO NI NIPP NZ NU NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NG NGO NP NSF NATIONAL
OPDC OREP ODIP OTRA OVIP OSCE OPRC OAS OFDP OPIC OIIP OEXC OECD OPCW OSCI OIE OIC OTR OVP OFFICIALS OSAC
PGOV PTER PREL PHUM PARM PINR PINS PREF PBTS PARMS PORG PE PK PHSA PROP PO PA PM PMIL PL PTERE POL PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAK PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PRGOV PNAT PROV PEL PINF PGOVE POLINT PRL PRAM PMAR PGOVLO PHUMBA PHUS PHUMPREL PG POLITICS PEPR PSI PINT PSOE PU POLITICAL PARTIES PBIO PECON POGOV PINL PKFK PGOF
QA
RS RU RO RIGHTS RW RICE ROBERT RF RFE RP REGION
SMIG SZ SNAR SENV SOCI SCUL SY SO SP SA SW SHUM SR SF SU SL SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI SNARCS STEINBERG SN SG
TERRORISM TSPA TH TU TO TBIO TW TX TFIN TD TRGY TSPL TZ TIP TPHY TS TK TNGD TI TC TINT TRSY TP TR TT
UNGA UNSC UK UNESCO UN UP UZ UY UE UAE UNO UNEP UG US USTR UNHCR UNMIK UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS UNAUS USUN USEU UNCHC UV
VE VT VM VZ VTPREL VN
WZ WMO WI WTRO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG WEU WHA WTO WA
XF XM XA XL XZ XW XR XH XG XT XC XY XD XE XK XS
YM YI YE
ZI ZP ZK ZF ZB ZANU ZOELLICK ZR ZU ZA ZO ZJ

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 06MADRID2657, SPAIN: UPDATE ON KEY TERRORISM-RELATED CASES

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #06MADRID2657.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06MADRID2657 | 2006-10-20 12:12 | 2010-12-09 12:12 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Madrid

`

    VZCZCXRO5703
    OO RUEHAG RUEHROV
    DE RUEHMD #2657/01 2931258
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 201258Z OCT 06
    FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
    TO RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
    RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1094
    INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA PRIORITY 2166
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 002657

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2016
    TAGS: PHUM PREL PTER SP
    SUBJECT: SPAIN: UPDATE ON KEY TERRORISM-RELATED CASES

    REF: A. MADRID 1914
    ¶B. MADRID 1799
    ¶C. MADRID 2374

    MADRID 00002657 001.2 OF 003

    Classified By: A/DCM Kathleen Fitzpatrick for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

    ¶1. (C) Summary: In advance of the October 24 visit to Madrid
    of US Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Post presents a
    brief update on several of the most important pending or
    recently completed terrorism or criminal cases in the Spanish
    judicial system. Spain has made great strides in disrupting
    terrorist cells and frustrating would-be terrorist plots and
    we remain pleased with Spain's counter-terrorism cooperation.
    However, its national prosecutors continue to have
    difficulty building cases that can stand up in the courts and
    recent Spanish Supreme and national court decisions freeing
    alleged Al-Qaeda suspects are an important factor to consider
    as we pursue improved judicial cooperation with Spain. End
    Summary.

    -------------------------------
    High-profile Al-Qaeda Suspects
    -------------------------------

    ¶2. (SBU) Spain's National Court on October 11 acquitted
    Lahcen Ikassrien after finding insufficient evidence that he
    was a member of either Al-Qaeda or of the Abu Dahdah terror
    cell in Spain, or that he fought alongside the Taliban in
    Afghanistan. Ikassrien is a Moroccan national and former
    Guantanamo detainee transferred to Spanish custody in July
    ¶2005. The court refused to admit any prosecution evidence
    that was obtained during his detention in Guantanamo or any
    information gleaned from intercepted phone calls in Spain.
    Post advised in Reftel A that this might occur, due to the
    unfortunate similarities the Ikassrien case had with that of
    accused terrorist Hamed Abderrahaman Ahmed, known in the
    media as the "Spanish Taliban." As reported in Reftel A, the
    Spanish Supreme Court announced on July 24 that it had
    annulled the six-year prison sentence handed down to
    Abderrahaman in September 2005 by Spain's national court.
    The court found that Spanish prosecutors could not use any
    evidence collected during their interrogation of Abderrahaman
    while he was being held at Guantanamo under conditions the
    court termed, "impossible to explain, much less justify."
    The Spanish prosecutor in the Ikassrien case had sought an
    eight-year jail sentence for the accused and tried
    unsuccessfully to build a case against Ikassrien that
    excluded evidence obtained in Guantanamo, noting publicly
    that Spanish authorities had obtained more than enough
    evidence of Ikassrien's membership in the Abu Dahdah terror
    cell prior to his stay in Guantanamo. It is unclear whether
    Ikassrien can be tried on any other terror-related charges.

    ¶3. (SBU) In a separate case, Spanish authorities on October
    3 released Taysir Alony, who in September 2005 was sentenced
    to seven years in prison for membership in Al-Qaeda, for
    humanitarian reasons stemming from a serious heart problem.
    The Spanish Ministry of Interior is forcing Alony to wear a
    locator bracelet and monitoring his activities.

    ------------------------
    CIA Flights and Prisons
    ------------------------

    ¶4. (SBU) Despite President's Bush recent announcement that
    there are no longer any terrorist suspects held in "secret
    prisons," this issue continues to dominate press headlines in
    Spain. On the front page of its October 15 edition, leading
    Spanish daily El Pais reported that the founder of Al-Qaeda
    in Spain has been in a "secret CIA prison" for a year.
    Sensational headlines in the Spanish press continue to claim
    that Syrian-born Spanish national named Mustafa Setmarian was
    turned over to the US by Pakistan authorities at the end of
    ¶2005. The press reporting claims that Setmarian sowed the
    seeds of Jihad in Spain during the 1980s, but that the
    Spanish national court cannot request his extradition because
    he has not been officially arrested.

    ¶5. (SBU) Along similar lines, and as we reported in REFTELS
    B and C, the CIA flights inquiry remains a hot discussion
    topic in Spain. On October 9, German national Khaled
    al-Masri testified for three hours in a Spanish national
    court and claimed that he was kidnapped and tortured by CIA
    officers during five months in 2004. He said he was taken
    from Macedonia to Kabul on a flight that he believed could
    have stopped in Palma de Mallorca. Al-Masri said he would
    not be able to identify any members of the crew on board the
    flight from Macedonia, but he would be able to recognize some
    of those who interrogated him in Kabul. As noted in Reftel
    C, post continues to be concerned that Judge Moreno, the

    MADRID 00002657 002.2 OF 003

    Spanish judge involved in this case, as part of Spain's
    highly independent judiciary, may determine that Spanish law
    allows him to claim "universal jurisdiction" on cases
    involving alleged torture and abuse. Such a determination
    may provide him the authority to adjudicate events that
    transpired in a third country if it is proven that related
    events occurred in Spain. Spanish government officials,
    including President Zapatero, continue to maintain their firm
    public stance that the flights did not violate any Spanish
    laws. However, Foreign Minister Moratinos expressed concern
    in front of the EU Parliament last month that, "our territory
    could have been used not to commit any offense, but as a
    stop-over to commit them in other countries." Moratinos has
    also urged the European Union to more vigorously investigate
    the presence of secret CIA prisons in other European
    countries. Spanish press reports that Judge Moreno in the
    near future will allow the national prosecutor to call other
    witnesses, including the airport authorities of Palma de
    Mallorca and the aircraft handling services.

    ----------------------
    Madrid Train Bombings
    ----------------------

    ¶6. (C) Despite the passage of more than two and a half years
    since the Madrid train bombings occurred on March 11, 2004,
    and the near universal acceptance by the Spanish public and
    terrorism experts that they were perpetrated by Al-Qaeda
    sympathizers with the goal to punish Spain for its
    participation in the Iraq War, a segment of the opposition
    Popular Party (PP) and the newspaper El Mundo continue to
    allege a Socialist party conspiracy and cover up and claim
    that the Basque terrorist group ETA had some link with the
    March 11 attacks. The highly-charged political clash over
    the Madrid bombing investigation has heightened the climate
    of bad blood between the opposition PP and the ruling
    Socialist government and has greatly hindered the pace of the
    government's prosecution of the attacks. Spain is currently
    holding 29 individuals for their alleged connection to the
    bombings and prosecutors plan to charge these individuals
    with 191 counts of murder and 1,755 counts of attempted
    murder. The Spanish National Court has recently rejected
    various appeals from the accused and said that the trials,
    scheduled to begin in February 2007, may proceed. The
    National court in late September asked the Spanish Ministry
    of Justice to send an extradition request to Italy to bring
    Rabei Osman el-Sayed, known as "Muhammad the Egyptian,"
    temporarily to Spain to face trial in connection with the
    Madrid bombings.

    ----------------------
    The Detergent Command
    ----------------------

    ¶7. (SBU) In a separate case pending before Spanish courts,
    the national prosecutor will seek a total of 142 years in
    prison for six Islamists arrested in January 2003 in
    Barcelona and Girona. These individuals are known in the
    press as "The Detergent Command," due to their possession of
    large quantities of detergents that police believe were to
    serve as ingredients for explosive devices. According to the
    prosecutor, these individuals were preparing a terrorist
    attack against a military base in the south of Spain, which
    may have been the base at Rota that the US shares with the
    Spanish navy and air force. The prosecutor will seek 32
    years for Muhammad Tahraoui, alleged leader of the Detergent
    Command, and 22 years each for his alleged accomplices,
    Muhammad Amine BenaMoura, Ali Kaouka, Ismail Boudjelthia,
    Muhammad Nebbar and Sohuil Kouka.

    ---------------
    The Couso Case
    ---------------

    ¶8. (SBU) Although not related to terrorism, the case of Jose
    Couso--the Spanish television cameraman killed in Baghdad in
    April 2003 during a firefight between US forces and Saddam's
    army--may return to national prominence after a British
    inquest earlier this month implicated US soldiers in the
    death of a British journalist in southern Iraq in March 2003.
    Couso's death sparked protests in a country that was
    vehemently against the Iraq invasion and friends and
    relatives of Couso have tried for years to bring a wrongful
    death case against the US soldiers of the Third Infantry
    Division involved in the firefight. The Spanish national
    court in March 2006 claimed it had no jurisdiction and
    refused to hear the case, but Couso supporters appealed to
    the Spanish Supreme Court the following month and we are
    still awaiting the high court's ruling. Although we have yet
    to see any Spanish reaction to the findings of the British

    MADRID 00002657 003.2 OF 003

    inquest, there is a possibility that Couso's family and their
    supporters will increase pressure on the Spanish Supreme
    Court to allow charges to be brought against the US soldiers.

    ¶9. (C) Comment: Spain is a serious and committed partner in
    our global war on terror and we remain pleased with the
    efforts of Spanish law enforcement, intelligence and judicial
    organizations to combat the Islamic extremist threat.
    However, Spanish police, prosecutors, and magistrates
    building legal cases against disparate and amorphous terror
    cells are struggling to develop evidence sufficient enough to
    meet the high threshold set by the Spanish courts. Spain has
    a highly independent judiciary that carefully guards this
    independence (a major achievement of the post-Franco era),
    and this is an important factor to consider as we pursue
    increased judicial cooperation with Spain in terrorism cases.
    Nonetheless, some of the recent Supreme and national court
    decisions can clearly be seen as a criticism of US detainee
    policies in Guantanamo that are highly unpopular among the
    Spanish. Embassy Madrid looks forward to using next week's
    visit of Attorney General Gonzalez and his delegation to
    engage Spanish government officials on a range of important
    legal and judicial issues to encourage them to take an even
    more active role in the fight against global terrorism.
    AGUIRRE

`