FLORENCE CELL
On 05/09/2004, after a long surveillance operation and monitoring his communications, the Italian police arrested the Algerian Mahamri Rashid, a 34-year-old Imam of one of Florence’s two mosques. Mahamri Rashid was a former member of the Algerian Islamic terror group GIA.
With Mahamri Rashid the Italian police also arrested, in Florence and nearby Siena, four people from Tunisian descent – all illegal immigrants in Italy, for suspicions that they formed a terror cell of Ansar al Islam which provided logistical support to the Al Qaeda affiliated groups in Iraq.
The four Tunisians, all in their 20’ies, had been planning to leave for Iraq via Syria and Yemen in the next few days. They are considered to be would-be martyrs recruited by Mahamri Rashid.
Mahamri Rashid had been appointed to replace his predecessor at the Sorgana Mosque, Mohamed Rafik, a Moroccan national arrested in Italy last October in connection with the Casablanca Bombings.
The Florence Cell did not manage to do any damage in Iraq or in Italy.
There is no information about Mahamri Rashid’s trial or sentence. Given the fact that he was not an Italian citizen and the Italian deportation policy – it is most likely that Mahamri Rashid was sent back to Algeria.
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