UK Edition
British benefits payments used to fund Paris and Brussels attack suspects' campaign of terror, court hears
The jihadists suspected of carrying out the bomb and gun attacks in Paris and Brussels used British benefits payments to fund international terrorism, a court has heard.
Mohamed Abrini - who became known as the "man in the hat" following the deadly attack on Brussels airport in March, was handed £3,000 by two men in Birmingham before flying to Paris and disappearing.
He had been sent to collect the money by Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is suspected of being one of the ringleaders of the attacks across the French capital just months later in which 130 people were killed.
Zakaria Bouffassil, 26, from Birmingham is accused of handing over the cash which had been withdrawn from the bank account of Anouar Haddouchi, a Belgian national, who had been claiming benefits while living in the West Midlands with his wife.
Kingston Crown Court heard how thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money continued to be paid into Haddouchi's bank account, even after he had left Britain for Syria and had begun fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (Isil).
Mr Bouffassil, 26, who is also originally from Belgium is accused of giving Abrini a large amount of cash during a secretive meeting in a Birmingham park last July.
He was accompanied by Mohamed Ali Ahmed, who has already admitted the charge.
On the opening day of their trial, jurors heard how some of the most notorious and wanted terrorists in Europe had used British taxpayers' money to fund their activities in Syria and elsewhere.
Max Hill QC, prosecuting, said: “There is no doubt that the money was handed over with the intention of assisting acts of terrorism.”
He went on: “The intention could not be more clear. Haddouchi had left the UK to fight for Daesh in Syria. Abrini came to collect the money in the UK.
“The destination would include Syria and specifically Daesh, either to Haddouchi himself or to other fighters. In other words the cash was handed over to Abrini with the intention of assisting others to commit acts of terrorism.”
Mr Hill explained that Haddouchi had left Britain for Syria in the summer of 2014.
He told the jury: "His TSB account at times contained some £7,000 or more. The figure fluctuated over time because benefits payments were still going into the account, even though Haddouchi had left the country."
He said the money had been gradually withdrawn in cash sums on various dates between 30 May 2015 and 23 November 2015.
The court heard how Abrini, who is from the notorious Molenbeek district of Brussels, had travelled to Syria via Turkey in early 2015 following the death of his Isil fighter brother.
While he was there he met Abaaoud who he claims asked him to travel to Birmingham to collect some money from a contact.
The court heard that he flew into Heathrow on July 9 last year, checking into a hotel in Paddington, before travelling to Birmingham by coach.
He then asked a taxi driver to take him to a "cheap hotel in the Muslim area", where he waited for further contact.
After three days in the West Midlands Abrini was told to go to a park in the Small Heath area of the city where he was to meet two men.
Describing the meeting, Mr Hill explained: "He waited for about ten minutes and the person arrived. The person told him to follow him while keeping a distance of around 10 to 15 metres.
"He did as he was told. They crossed the park and then walked outside the park and crossed a bridge which passes over a motorway.
"After the bridge they went into a little forest. There was second person in the forest and he had the money."
Abrini said Boufassil had told him it had taken so long to organise the meeting because he had to "verify with Syria" that he was not an imposter.
The court heard that hours after collecting the money, Abrini visited the Grosvenor Casino in Birmingham where he took a photograph of a gambling machine on his mobile phone.
Mr Hill said the actual use of the money is 'not part of the criminal offence charged against' Boufassil and, even if Abrini did gamble some of the money in a casino, 'that does not undermine the criminal offence.
“Even terrorists spend money on food and drink, whether in a casino or elsewhere,” he explained.
Abrini then travelled to Manchester where he spent the night before trying to catch a flight to Paris.
However when he discovered there were no direct flights he returned to Birmingham by coach before finally leaving the UK on July 16.
In March this year Abrini captured on CCTV alongside Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, who detonated bombs hidden in suitcases killing 12 people at Brussels airport.
Another 20 people died in an attack on Maalbeek metro station less than two hours later.
Jurors were also told he is also wanted by the French authorities in connection with the attacks in Paris last November.
Boufassil denies one charge of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism and the trial continues.