VZCZCXYZ0003
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0942/01 3641120
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301120Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7112
INFO RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS TUNIS 000942 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/CT (RSHORE), AND NEA/MAG 
PASS NCTC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM KHLS PINS PREL AMER TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIA: 2009 TERRORISM REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 109980 
 
----------------- 
General Assessment 
------------------ 
 
¶1.  The Government of Tunisia continued to place a high 
priority on combating extremism and terrorism in 2009.  In 
addition to using security and law enforcement measures, the 
Tunisian government also used social and economic programs 
including health care and public education to ameliorate 
factors contributing to extremism.  The government prohibits 
the formation of religious-based political parties and groups 
it believes could pose a terrorist threat.  Tunisia does not 
have a rehabilitation or reintegration program.  The Tunisian 
government puts a high priority on controlling the border 
regions and the country is not a potential safe haven for 
terrorists. 
 
¶2.  July 30, 2009 the Chamber of Advisors amended the 2003 
anti-terrorism law to harmonize national legislation with UN 
resolutions related to terrorism financing and money 
laundering.  The amendments included measures to establish 
databases on terrorist financial transactions; protect the 
identities of magistrates, judicial police officers and civil 
servants involved in terrorism and money laundering cases; 
freeze funds belonging to people accused of terrorist 
activities; and extend from two to five days the period 
allowed for a public prosecutor to issue his judgment on 
investigations carried out by the Financial Analysis 
Commission.  The new legislation also made a clear 
distinction between terrorism and resistance, with specific 
reference to the Palestinians. 
 
¶3.  The GOT enforces an anti-terrorism law passed in 2003. 
However the GOT's application of the 2003 anti-terrorism law 
was criticized by Tunisian and international organizations 
which maintain that too many individuals undergo extended 
pre-trial detention and face unfair trials that rely on weak 
evidence.  In response to a claim by Tunisian lawyers that 
2000 people had been sentenced under the anti-terrorism law, 
the Minister of Justice stated May 27 that 300 persons were 
being detained on terrorism charges. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Alleged Threat Against U.S. Military Personnel 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶4.  On July 2 a private Tunisian lawyer announced in the 
press that the government was charging two military officers 
along with seven civilians for plotting to attack U.S. 
military personnel in country.  On July 14, Tunisian media 
reported that prosecutors dropped charges, citing lack of 
evidence, against the two officers. 
 
------------ 
Public Cases 
------------ 
 
¶5.  This list is not comprehensive and lists only those 
sentences publicly announced.  It does not include those who 
were arrested and appeared before a judge but were not 
sentenced. 
 
-- March 26, the court in Grombalia, Nabeul sentenced a man 
to three years in prison for joining a terrorist movement. 
He had been previously arrested in December 2006 and released 
18 days later. 
 
-- April 11, the Tunisian Court of Appeal gave 50 young 
individuals sentences ranging from 15 months to seven years 
in prison for membership in an illegal Salafist group.  The 
group was originally arrested following the December 
2006/January 2007 "Soliman" case, in which government 
security forces broke up, south of Tunis, a group called 
"Assad Ibn Fourat's Army," which had reportedly been training 
to commit terrorist acts. 
 
-- May 14, a woman was sentenced to six years in prison for 
belonging to a terrorist organization, incitement to join 
terrorist organizations, funding terrorism and traveling 
outside the country without official documents. 
 
-- May 20, a military court sentenced one person to three 
years in prison on terror-related charges. 
 
-- In June, the Tunisian Appeals Court sentenced 22 
individuals to 3-8 years in prison for belonging to a 
terrorist organization, obtaining supplies and equipment for 
the organization and for calling for acts of terrorism. One 
of the 22 individuals convicted was a non-commissioned 
military officer. 
 
-- July 6, 19 individuals suspected of belonging to the 
Pan-Islamist "Party of Liberation," were given sentences 
ranging from 11-14 months in prison for belonging to a 
foreign terrorist organization. 
 
-- August 2, a Tunisian was forcibly repatriated from Italy 
to Tunisia after completing a six year sentence for belonging 
to a terrorist organization.  He was arrested upon his 
arrival in Tunisia and then released on bail August 10.  The 
police informed him that he could not leave his house or 
receive visitors without permission from the police. 
 
-- October 1, the Tunis court sentenced 6 individuals to one 
year in prison for holding an unauthorized meeting, and one 
person to ten years for belonging to a terrorist organization 
and inciting terrorist acts. 
 
-- October 17, nine men were given sentences ranging from 3-6 
years in prison on terror related charges. 
 
 
¶6. Tunisians Involved in Cases Abroad: 
 
-- April 24, General David H. Petraeus, head of U.S. Central 
Command, in public testimony during a hearing in the House of 
Representatives said that four Tunisians had crossed the 
Syrian-Iraqi border to carry out several bombings in Baghdad 
and Diyala province. 
 
-- May 25, a Belgian paper reported the Egyptian authorities 
arrested seven members of a cell with links to al-Qa'ida, one 
of them being a Belgian of Tunisian origin.  The seven were 
arrested on suspicion of having carried out a bomb attack on 
February 22 in Cairo. 
 
-- June 30, five Tunisians arrested in 2008 were ordered to 
stand trial in Italy on charges of being members of al-Qa'ida 
and of recruiting for the jihad. 
 
-- In November, the Italian police broke up an Islamist cell 
based in northern Italy.  The police announced the arrest of 
20 suspects across Europe, reportedly mostly Tunisians, 
linked to the cell. 
 
¶7.  The Embassy POC is Laura Byergo, e-mail: 
byergolg@state.gov, Tel: (216)71-107-306 
GRAY