In a case that is likely to upset the relatives of thousands of victims, a United Nations Security Council panel is considering whether to remove an aide to the September 11, 2001, attackers from the United Nations terror list. According to DER SPIEGEL’s sources, convicted conspirator Mounir al-Motassadeq has applied to the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee to be delisted from the terror group's international roster of members. People included on the list are subject to extensive restrictions around the world. They are not allowed to travel, and UN member states are supposed to freeze their accounts.

Terror Training in Afghanistan

Motassadeq was part of the Hamburg terror cell whose leaders hijacked four passenger planes in 2001 and piloted them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States. Around 3,000 people died in the attacks. According to the verdict of a Higher Regional Court, the Moroccan national assisted the pilots in the terror cell led by Mohammed Atta in Hamburg by organizing money transfers and other tasks. About a year before the 9/11 attacks, Motassadeq had also traveled to a terror camp in Afghanistan, where he received military training. The court sentenced Motassadeq to 15 years in prison for membership in a terrorist organization and being an accessory to murder.

Motassadeq had maintained his innocence right up to the end. He admitted that the assassins had been close friends of his in Hamburg, but that he knew nothing about their terrorist plans. He claimed he had visited the camp in Afghanistan solely for religious reasons. After serving his prison sentence, the German authorities deported Motassadeq to Morocco in 2018.

A Top UN Ombudsman Visits Hamburg

According to sources at U.S. security agencies, an ombudsman for the UN body has been collecting information on Motassadeq in a number of countries since late May. The sources say the senior lawyer visited Hamburg two weeks ago, where he met to speak with representatives of several authorities. The meeting reportedly took place at the Fuhlsbüttel Prison, where Motassadeq served his sentence. The ombudsman is also likely to speak directly to Motassadeq himself as foreseen under the procedural rules of the UN Sanctions Committee. In total, the review can take up to one and a half years.

In the end, the expert prepares a report including a recommendation, which the committee in New York then rules on. Statistically, Motassadeq's chances of success may not be bad at all: According to committee data, 70 out of 100 delisting requests have been approved in recent years to complete.

A Hero in the Jihadist Scene

According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, the German government signaled to the UN weeks ago that it would not back Motassadeq's removal from the list. According to sources with the security authorities, he is still considered a hero in the Islamist scene. They claim that during his time in prison, Motassadeq received visits from jihadists until the very end of his term. Motassadeq's German lawyer did not respond to a request for comment submitted by DER SPIEGEL. The UN also didn’t want to comment on the case. The German foreign and justice ministries also declined to comment. Still, even if Motassadeq were to be removed from the UN terror list, he wouldn't be able to return to Germany until he was an elderly man. Officials imposed an entry ban on the Moroccan that is in effect until April 3, 2064.