VZCZCXYZ0002 
PP RUEHWEB 

DE RUEHBS #1957/01 3591109 
ZNR UUUUU ZZH 
P 241109Z DEC 08 
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8415 
INFO RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 001957 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS EUR/WE, S/CT RHONDA SHORE AND NCTC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM:2008 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: STATE 120019 
 
 
¶1. Embassy point of contact is Aaron Jensen. Email: 
JensenAW@state.gov 
 
 
¶2. Begin text of report. 
 
Belgium 
 
Belgium continued to strengthen its response to the threat of 
terrorism, with the new institutions it developed over the 
past several years working to coordinate the Belgian government's 
effort to use and share information to combat terrorism, maintain 
vigilance on persons and groups of concern, and actively work to 
prevent terrorist financing. A major operation leading to the 
arrest of 14 suspected terrorists, in December 2008, showed the 
Belgian governments will and capacity to take action as necessary. 
In 2006, under Belgium's 2003 antiterrorism law, members of the 
Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), a far left 
militant Turkish group, were convicted for membership in a terror 
organization and for providing material support to a terrorist 
group. The Belgian Court of Appeals upheld the DHKP/C convictions 
and imposed stiffer sentences in November 2006. In April 2007, 
Belgium's Supreme Court cited technical grounds in quashing 
the Court of Appeals ruling; at year's end the case was being 
retried in the Antwerp Appellate Court. 
 
On October 15, hearings began in the case of Bilal Soughir and 
five other men suspected of recruiting and training terrorists for 
suicide attacks in Iraq, including Muriel Degauque, a Belgian 
national who, in 2005, blew herself up in a failed bomb attack in 
Iraq. Federal authorities planned ongoing reviews of court rulings 
to gauge what acts and groups could be prosecuted successfully under 
the 2003 legislation and what types of sentences could be imposed. 
On January 10, 2008, the verdicts ranged between 10 years for the 
leader Bilal Soughir, three others received 5 years and lesser 
sentences were give to two others. All of the verdicts were reduced 
on appeal in Summer 2008 by roughly half of the original sentence. 
 
Belgian police and security agencies have taken advantage of 
legislation enacted in recent years to improve information 
collection on of alleged extremists. and suspected terrorists. 
Belgium's Coordinating Body for Threat Analysis (OCAM/OCAD) is 
becoming fully operational. OCAM facilitates the exchange of 
information among all governmental counterterrorism bodies and 
develops common threat analyses on the basis of such information 
exchanges. OCAM operates under the joint authority of the Justice 
and Interior Ministers and includes representatives from the 
external and internal services, the Federal Police, Customs, and 
the Ministries of Transport, Finance, and Foreign Affairs. 
 
Belgian authorities have the ability to create a national list of 
terrorist entities, separate from UN and EU lists, coordinated by 
OCAM, including financiers and suspected financiers of terrorism. 
This information allows Belgian authorities to develop and apply a 
national capacity to freeze assets (in addition to UN- and EU- 
mandated asset freezes that Belgium already implements). In 
addition, Belgian cooperation on security programs such as the 
Container Security Initiative (CSI), Megaports, and export 
controls has been generally excellent. 
 
Belgian emergency action plans are reviewed and updated to 
prepare  for and respond to potential attacks, including 
bioterrorism. On a local level, authorities institute drills of 
rapid alert systems, and review critical infrastructure support and 
civil protection and medical assistance procedures. Federal and 
local authorities have participated in a EUCOM WMD Consequence 
Management exercise, furthering U.S.-Belgian cooperation in this 
area. Police and private sector working groups target terrorists, 
the financing of terrorism, and terrorist use of the Internet. 
Belgium increased its a significant military contribution to the 
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, where 
it deploys a force of about 400 troops as well as 4 F-16s. The main 
force protects Kabul airport, and some personnel are deployed at at 
the German-led Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Konduz. 
Belgium contributed approximately $33 million euros toward Afghan 
reconstruction and promised to boost its support for reconstruction 
and development, totaling approximately 45 million euros, to be 
disbursed over the next four years. Assistance to Iraq included 
expanded participation in the Jordan International Police Training 
Center in Amman (which subsequently closed in September), training 
for Iraqi diplomats and magistrates in Belgium, and training for 
Iraqi servicemen in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with Germany. 
 
Belgian authorities remained concened about potential terror 
activities involving groups from Algeria and North Africa, and have 
investigated groups such as the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group 
(GICM), the DHKP/C, a far right group with links to neo-Nazi groups, 
and a cell suspected of training members for attacks in Iraq. 
The KGK/PKK is a known presence, with television production studios in 
Denderleeuw, BelgiumBrussels . The KGK/PKK continued to exploit 
Belgium to raise illicit financing for violence in Turkey and its 
camps in northern Iraq . 
 
Belgium continued to take action in response to EU and UN Security 
Council actions to freeze suspected terrorist assets and to study 
steps to improve its ability to combat and control terrorist 
financing. Based upon a mutual evaluation review by the Financial 
Action Task Force (FATF) in June 2005, Belgium was working to 
implement FATF's recommendations. In December, 2007 Belgian 
officials arrested 14 persons that threatened to attack unspecified 
Belgian targets led to an increased level of alert and the closing 
of trash cans at major tourist locations. Belgian media and public 
opinion were quite critical of the perceived over-reaction. However, 
in December 2008, the year long investigation that followed these 
threats led to the arrest of 14 suspected terrorists, one of which 
was prepared to launch a suicide attack on an unspecified location. 
The operation may have vindicated the Belgian National Police for 
their 2007 alert and proved that Belgium was able and willing to 
investigate and take action against suspected terrorists on its soil. 
 
End Report text. 
 
BUSH 
.