[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 152 (Friday, December 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1824-E1825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ABD AL-BASET AZZOUZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 11, 2014

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to commend the recent 
intelligence partnership between the United States and the country of 
Turkey that led to the apprehension and eventual transfer into U.S. 
custody of a senior Al Qaeda operative, Abd al-Baset Azzouz.
  The State Department of the United States listed Azzouz as a 
``Specially Designated Global Terrorist'' pursuant to Executive Order 
13224 on September 24, 2014. Additionally, the State Department states 
that Azzouz ``has had a presence in Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, 
and Libya. He was sent to Libya in 2011 by al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-
Zawahiri to build a fighting force there, and mobilized approximately 
200 fighters. He is considered a key operative capable of training al-
Qa'ida recruits in a variety of skills, such as IED construction.''
  I am encouraged by this positive development between Turkey and the 
United States and hope that this event indicates a growing partnership 
between our countries that will result in a common military strategy 
against hostile elements in Iraq and Syria. While no international 
relationship is perfect, there is already

[[Page E1825]]

a large amount of cooperation that exists between the U.S. and allies 
like Turkey and it is critical that we continue to grow our existing 
partnerships in this important region as well as forge new ones.
  It is important that we recognize and commend this very positive 
incident of counterterrorism cooperation between the U.S. and Turkey, 
as well as do all that we can to encourage these efforts to continue.
  Finally, I submit the recent articles from the Washington Post and 
International Business Times.

                [From the Washington Post, Dec. 5, 2014]

Suspected Al-Qaeda Member Held in Jordan as U.S. Investigates Possible 
                             Benghazi Link

                  (By Adam Goldman and Karen DeYoung)

       A suspected member of al-Qaeda who had recently been 
     designated a global terrorist by the United States has been 
     detained in Jordan. The United States is also investigating 
     whether he played a role in the September 2012 attacks on 
     U.S. facilities in Benghazi. U.S. officials, who spoke on the 
     condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, 
     identified the man as Abd al-Baset Azzouz, a Libyan national. 
     Details about his capture and what charges he could face in 
     the United States remain unclear. Turkish news media reported 
     that Azzouz was captured Nov. 13 in an operation in Yalova, 
     which is about 100 miles south of Istanbul, and that he was 
     later deported to Jordan.
       Turkey's Daily Sabah newspaper said the CIA provided the 
     tip that led to his arrest. The CIA declined to comment.
       In recent years, the Obama administration has brought a 
     number of alleged terrorists to this country after capture by 
     the U.S. or through extradition. Azzouz has not been named in 
     any public statements or reports about those sought in 
     connection with the Benghazi attacks. Although the State 
     Department designated Azzouz as a terrorist, it is not known 
     if there are any criminal charges against him that would 
     facilitate his extradition to the United States.
       A likely venue for any criminal proceedings would be 
     federal court in New York. FBI spokesman Peter Donald in New 
     York declined to comment. One official stressed that U.S. 
     intelligence was still examining whether Azzouz had a role in 
     the Benghazi attacks that killed U.S. Ambassador J. 
     Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
       In September, the State Department designated Azzouz a 
     global terrorist. The State Department said he has also lived 
     in Afghanistan and Britain.
       As part of the designation, the United States said Azzouz 
     was sent home by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2011 to 
     build a fighting force in Libya, mobilizing about 200 
     fighters.
       ``He is considered a key operative capable of training al-
     Qaeda recruits in a variety of skills, such as IED 
     [improvised explosive device] construction,'' according to 
     the State Department.
       Seth Jones, an analyst at the Rand Corp., said Azzouz 
     probably has minimal information about where Zawahiri is 
     hiding but could provide a clearer picture of the terrorist 
     groups operating in Libya.
       ``He's got a lot of information that could be useful on how 
     al-Qaeda is structured, its broader strategy and 
     operations,'' he said.
       Azzouz isn't the first known al-Qaeda operative suspected 
     of going to Libya in recent years.
       Officials said there was intelligence that Thirwat Shihata, 
     an Egyptian who was Zawahiri's deputy at one point, traveled 
     to Libya after he was allowed to leave Iran, where he had 
     been since 2003.
       Azzouz lived in Britain and was known to police but left 
     the country in 2009 for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Authorities 
     in Britain had briefly detained Azzouz before letting him go, 
     according to news reports.
                                  ____


           [From International Business Times, Dec. 4, 2014]

   Al Qaeda Leader Abd Al-Baset Azzouz, Accused of Participation in 
            Benghazi Attack, Reportedly Awaiting Trial in US

                         (By Alessandria Masi)

       A senior al Qaeda leader accused of participating in the 
     attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, was arrested 
     in Turkey last month. The Libya-based terrorist leader was 
     transferred to Jordan and subsequently to the U.S., where he 
     is now awaiting trial, according to the Turkish Hurriyet 
     Daily News.
       A joint CIA and Turkish intelligence operation led to Abd 
     al-Baset Azzouz's capture when he attempted to enter Turkey 
     with a fake passport, according to a report from Turkish 
     daily Milliyet. Azzouz is a senior member of al Qaeda's 
     branch in Libya and allegedly had a role in the bombing that 
     killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and U.S. 
     Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith on 
     Sept. 11, 2012.
       The CIA declined to comment on its alleged involvement in 
     the operation and the Department of Defense did not 
     immediately confirm Azzouz's continued presence in the U.S.
       A man by that name was put on the U.S. State Department's 
     Designated Terrorist List in September and described as a 
     ``key operative capable of training al Qaeda recruits in a 
     variety of skills, such as IED [improvised explosive device] 
     construction.'' Azzouz's name was also presented to the House 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs last year on a list of people it 
     did not ``make sense to consider anything but `core' al Qaeda 
     members.''
       Azzouz was detained for nearly 10 months in the U.K. in 
     2006. Upon his release, he moved to Libya at the request of 
     al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to Hurriyet. Al-
     Zawahiri reportedly sent him to Libya to open a training camp 
     and recruit fighters, a move that ``indicates that senior al 
     Qaeda leaders trust him to carry out the strategic task of 
     establishing an al Qaeda network in Libya,'' according to a 
     2012 report from the Federal Research Division of the Library 
     of Congress.
       Libyan jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia has been widely held 
     accountable for the deadly Benghazi attack, but the group 
     said in a statement that it ``didn't participate as a sole 
     entity.'' Ansar al-Sharia has a strong presence in Benghazi 
     and is ``ideologically aligned'' with al Qaeda, according to 
     the State Department. The group also has a branch in the 
     Libyan port city of Derna, where Azzouz allegedly set up his 
     training camp.
       Derna has long been a jihadist battleground and is home to 
     several groups, including the Islamic Youth Shura Council, 
     which recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

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