BERLIN (Reuters) - A Moroccan associate of the Sept. 11 hijackers is being moved from a German prison in preparation for deportation after serving most of a 15-year jail term for helping organise the 2011 attacks on U.S. targets, authorities said on Monday.

Mounir El Motassadeq was a member of a group of radical Islamists based in the northern German port city of Hamburg who helped bring about the suicide attacks with hijacked airliners that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Handed the maximum sentence of 15 years in 2007 for being an accessory to mass murder, Motassadeq is one of only two men convicted to date of involvement in the plot.

“Everything is going according to plan,” said a spokesman for the state of Hamburg’s interior ministry, declining to give details, other than to say that Motassadeq’s release was permissible from Oct. 15 if he was deported immediately.

Photographs showed a man with covered eyes being led by two armed policemen to a helicopter. German media reported that he would be taken to Frankfurt to be deported to Morocco, where his family lives.

The spokesman in Hamburg could not say exactly when his sentence was due to end. German media have reported he was due to stay behind bars until November or early next year.

At his 2007 trial, his lawyers argued that Motassadeq knew nothing about the Sept. 11 plot. But prosecutors said he played a central role in suicide hijacker Mohammed Atta’s group by running the financial affairs of some cell members.

Authorities in Hamburg said they would confirm the deportation once it has taken place.</s>BERLIN (AP) — A Moroccan man convicted of helping Mohamed Atta and the other Hamburg-based Sept. 11 suicide pilots as they plotted attacks on New York and Washington was deported Monday from Germany to his homeland.

German authorities confirmed that Mounir el Motassadeq was aboard a plane that had taken off from Frankfurt airport in the evening.

El Motassadeq was convicted of membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to the murder of the 246 passengers and crew on the four jetliners used in the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

"It's a good feeling to know that Mr. Motassadeq is out of the country," Hamburg's Interior Minister Andy Grote told The Associated Press.

Earlier in the day, he had been taken from a Hamburg prison to Frankfurt airport.

El Motassadeq was released shortly before completing his 15-year-sentence on the condition that he agreed to be deported to Morocco. That would allow Germany to re-arrest him if he ever returned.

It wasn't immediately clear what awaited him in Morocco.

El Motassadeq was convicted of being part of the so-called Hamburg cell, including Atta and fellow Sept. 11 pilots Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

German courts ruled that el Motassadeq was aware the three planned to hijack and crash planes, even though he might not have known specifics of the plot. They said el Motassadeq helped "watch the attackers' backs and conceal them" by helping them keep up the appearance of being university students paying tuition and rent and transferring money.

El Motassadeq acknowledged training at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan but insisted he knew nothing of his friends' plans to attack the U.S.

"I swear by God that I did know the attackers were in America," he shouted in accented German at a sentencing hearing. "I swear by God that I did not know what they wanted to do."

Originally arrested in Hamburg in November 2001, el Motassadeq was convicted in 2003 of membership in a terrorist organization and thousands of counts of accessory to murder — taking into account victims on the ground — becoming the first person convicted anywhere on charges related to Sept. 11. He was sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison.

However, a federal court overturned that verdict in 2004, largely because of a lack of evidence from al-Qaida suspects in U.S. custody, and sent the case back to Hamburg.

After a 2005 retrial, el Motassadeq was again convicted of membership in a terrorist organization that included Atta, al-Shehhi and Jarrah. But he was acquitted of being an accessory to murder after the court ruled it didn't have enough evidence that he knew of the hijackers' plot.

El Motassadeq was sentenced to seven years in prison at the time, but was freed in early 2006 until his appeal could be heard.

Later that year, the federal court reversed the Hamburg court's acquittal of el Motassadeq on the accessory to murder charges, ruling that the evidence showed he knew the plotters planned to hijack and crash planes. It limited the number of counts, however, to the 246 people killed aboard the airplanes, and the 15-year sentence was restored.</s>Sept. 11 terrorist deported from Germany after serving 15 years in prison

BERLIN — A Moroccan man convicted of helping Mohamed Atta and the other Hamburg-based Sept. 11 suicide pilots as they plotted their attacks on New York and Washington was deported Monday from Germany to his native country.

Mounir el Motassadeq, who was convicted of membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to the murder of the 246 passengers and crew on the four jetliners used in the 2001 attacks, was flown by helicopter from a Hamburg prison on Monday. Blindfolded and hands and ankles in shackles, the 44-year-old was then led to another aircraft while other heavily armed police patrolled the area and watched from rooftops.

Authorities wouldn’t comment on the operation for security reasons. “It’s a good feeling to know that Mr. Motassadeq is out of the country,” said Hamburg’s Interior Minister Andy Grote.

El Motassadeq was released shortly before serving all of his 15-year sentence on the condition that he would agree to be deported to Morocco. It wasn’t immediately clear what fate awaited him there.

El Motassadeq was convicted of being part of the Hamburg cell, which included Atta and fellow Sept. 11 pilots Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

German courts ruled that el Motassadeq was aware the three planned to hijack and crash planes, even though he might not have known the specifics of the plot. They said el Motassadeq had helped “watch the attackers’ backs and conceal them” by doing things such as helping them keep up the appearance of being regular university students paying tuition and rent fees, and transferring money.

El Motassadeq acknowledged training at an al Qaeda camp in Afghanistan but insisted he knew nothing of his friends’ plans to attack the U.S.

“I swear by God that I did know the attackers were in America,” he shouted at a sentencing hearing. “I swear by God that I did not know what they wanted to do.”

His attorney, Jan Jacob, refused to comment on the deportation, which brings to an end a lengthy legal saga in Germany.

Originally arrested in Hamburg in November 2001, el Motassadeq was convicted of membership in a terrorist organization that included Atta, al-Shehhi and Jarrah. But he was acquitted of being an accessory to murder. A federal court later reversed the acquittal, ruling he knew the plotters planned to hijack and crash planes. It limited the number of counts, however, to the 246 people killed aboard the airplanes.

David Rising is an Associated Press writer.</s>German authorities deported 44-year-old Mounir el Motassadeq to Morocco; the man was found to be an accomplice of the Islamists who carried out the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, according to the DPA.

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Mounir el Motassadeq, a member of a group of al-Qaeda* affiliates in Germany known as the 'Hamburg cell' was incarcerating in 2006 for supporting Egyptian terrorist Mohamed Atta, one of the architects behind the 9/11 attacks, and two other terrorists by footing the bill for their university tuition fees and housing to give the impression that they were students.</s>BERLIN — A Moroccan man convicted of helping Mohamed Atta and the other Hamburg-based Sept. 11 suicide pilots as they plotted their attacks on New York and Washington was deported Monday from Germany to his native country.

Mounir el Motassadeq, who was convicted of membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to the murder of the 246 passengers and crew on the four jetliners used in the 2001 attacks, was flown by helicopter from a Hamburg prison on Monday morning.

Blindfolded and with his hands and ankles shackled, the 44-year-old was then led by two police officers to another helicopter while other heavily armed police in balaclavas patrolled the area and watched from rooftops.

Authorities wouldn’t comment on the operation for security reasons.

“Mr. Motassadeq will leave the country soon,” Hamburg Interior Ministry spokesman Frank Reschreiter told The Associated Press. “All the necessary procedural steps for this have been ticked off according to plan.”

El Motassadeq was released shortly before completing his 15-year-sentence on the condition that he agree to be deported to Morocco. That would allow Germany to re-arrest him if he ever returned to the country.

It wasn’t immediately clear what awaited him in Morocco.

El Motassadeq was convicted of being part of the so-called Hamburg cell, including Atta and fellow Sept. 11 pilots Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

German courts ruled that el Motassadeq was aware the three planned to hijack and crash planes, even though he might not have known specifics of the plot. They said el Motassadeq helped “watch the attackers’ backs and conceal them” by helping them keep up the appearance of being regular university students paying tuition and rent and transferring money.

El Motassadeq acknowledged training at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan, but insisted he knew nothing of his friends’ plans to attack the U.S.

“I swear by God that I did know the attackers were in America,” he shouted in accented German at a sentencing hearing. “I swear by God that I did not know what they wanted to do.”

Originally arrested in Hamburg in November 2001, el Motassadeq was convicted in 2003 of membership in a terrorist organization and thousands of counts of accessory to murder — taking into account victims on the ground — becoming the first person convicted anywhere on charges related to Sept. 11. He was sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison.

However, a federal court overturned that verdict in 2004, largely because of a lack of evidence from al-Qaida suspects in U.S. custody, and sent the case back to Hamburg.

After a 2005 retrial, el Motassadeq was again convicted of membership in a terrorist organization that included Atta, al-Shehhi and Jarrah. But he was acquitted of being an accessory to murder after the court ruled it didn’t have enough evidence that he knew of the hijackers’ plot.

El Motassadeq was sentenced to seven years in prison at the time, but was freed in early 2006 until his appeal could be heard.

Later that year, the federal court reversed the Hamburg court’s acquittal of el Motassadeq on the accessory to murder charges, ruling that the evidence knew the plotters planned to hijack and crash planes. It limited the number of counts, however, to the 246 people killed aboard the airplanes and the 15-year sentence was restored.</s>A Moroccan man convicted of helping some of the 9/11 suicide pilots will be deported from Germany to his home country today.

Mounir el-Motassadeq, 44, was a member of a group of radical Islamists based in Hamburg, northern Germany, and found guilty of helping bring about the 2001 terror attacks in the United States which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Motassadeq associated with several of the 9/11 hijackers, and in 2007, prosecutors proved that he handled their finances, and even signed the will of Mohamed Atta, the man who piloted the plane which hit World Trade Centre's North Tower.

Handed the maximum sentence of 15 years in 2007 for being an accessory to mass murder, Motassadeq is one of only two men convicted to date of involvement in the plot.

Photographs taken earlier today show a man with his eyes covered, identified as Motassadeq, being led by two armed policemen to a helicopter.

German media reported that he would be taken to Frankfurt to be deported to Morocco, where his wife and children lives.

'Everything is going according to plan,' said a spokesman for the state of Hamburg's interior ministry, declining to give details, other than to say that Motassadeq's release was permissible from October 15 if he was deported immediately.

Once in Morocco, Motassadeq will be a free man, however, experts say he is likely to be closely monitored by local authorities.

Phil Gurski, a former strategic analyst in the Canadian intelligence community, told Deutsche Welle that the Moroccan government will most likely gather intel on him and pass it on to the United States.

However, he added: 'I'd be very surprised if the US had no interest in him.'

Local news has previously reported that Motassadeq had been due to remain in prison until early 2019, and it is not known why he appears to have been granted early release.

El Motassadeq was convicted of being part of the so-called Hamburg cell, including Atta and fellow Sept. 11 pilots Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah.

German courts ruled that Motassadeq was aware the three planned to hijack and crash planes, even though he might not have known the specifics of the plot.

They said Motassadeq had helped "watch the attackers' backs and conceal them" by doing things such as helping them keep up the appearance of being regular university students paying tuition and rent fees, and transferring money.

El Motassadeq acknowledged training at an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan, but insisted he knew nothing of his friends' plans to attack the U.S.

'I swear by God that I did know the attackers were in America,' he shouted in accented German at a sentencing hearing. 'I swear by God that I did not know what they wanted to do.'

His attorney, Jan Jacob, refused to comment on the deportation, which brings to an end a lengthy legal saga in Germany.

Originally arrested in Hamburg in November 2001, el Motassadeq was convicted in 2003 of membership in a terrorist organization and thousands of counts of accessory to murder - taking into account victims on the ground - becoming the first person convicted anywhere on charges related to Sept. 11. He was sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison.

However, a federal court overturned that verdict in 2004, largely because of a lack of evidence from al-Qaida suspects in U.S. custody, and sent the case back to Hamburg.

After a 2005 retrial, Motassadeq was again convicted of membership in a terrorist organization that included Atta, al-Shehhi and Jarrah. But he was acquitted of being an accessory to murder after the court ruled it didn't have enough evidence that he knew of the hijackers' plot.

Motassadeq was sentenced to seven years in prison at the time, but was freed in early 2006 until his appeal could be heard.

Later that year, the federal court reversed the Hamburg court's acquittal of Motassadeq on the accessory to murder charges, ruling that the evidence knew the plotters planned to hijack and crash planes. It limited the number of counts, however, to the 246 people killed aboard the airplanes and the 15-year sentence was restored.

Authorities in Hamburg said they would confirm the deportation once it has taken place.</s>Germany is to extradite a man who was known to authorities as a "book-keeper" for the al-Qaeda* terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks.

​Mounir el Motassadeq, a member of a group of al-Qaeda affiliates in Germany known as the 'Hamburg cell' was locked away in 2006 for supporting Egyptian terrorist, Mohamed Atta, one of the architects behind the 9/11 atrocity, and two other terrorists by footing the bill for their university tuition fees and housing rent to give the impression that they were students.



READ MORE: Germany to Shield 9/11 Plotter from CIA Amid Repatriation to Morocco – Report

According to Germany's DW News, El Motassadeq, the only man to be imprisoned for the 9/11 massacre, is to be put on a plane bound for the city Marrakesh in his home country of Morocco after serving his almost 15 years prison sentence in Germany.

​Reportedly, the 44-year-old was flown on Monday, October 15, by helicopter from the prison he was based at to an unknown location escorted by heavily armed guards.

Hamburg's Interior Ministry Spokesman, Frank Reschreiter, has been quoted as saying that Mr Motassadeq will "leave the country soon." 



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"All the necessary procedural steps for this have been ticked off according to plan," he added.

As with many other al-Qaeda terrorists, the biography of Motassadeq is one shrouded in secrecy. What is certain, however, is that he arrived in Germany in 1993 to study engineering. It was during his time at university there that he met 9/11 architect, Mohamed Atta, who flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Centre on September 11 2001. 



READ MORE: Why Did the 9/11 Attacks Happen? Filling in the Blanks

* terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries</s>Mounir El Motassadeq, a friend of the September 11 hijackers who was sentenced to 15 years in a German prison in 2007 for being an accessory to mass murder, was deported to his native Morocco on Monday (October 15).

HAMBURG, GERMANY - Mounir El Motassadeq, a friend of the September 11 hijackers who was sentenced to 15 years in a German prison in 2007 for being an accessory to mass murder, was deported to his native Morocco on Monday (Oct 15).

One of only two men ever convicted in relation to the militant attacks of Sept 11, 2001 is being deported from his German prison, but it's unclear if this means freedom for him.

El Motassadeq has served most of a 15-year sentence, the maximum sentence for being an accessory to mass murder. But German authorities have declined to say what happens to him next.

It's thought he'll be taken to his native Morocco. But again, what would happen after hasn't been revealed.

El Motassadeq was a member of a group radical Islamists in Hamburg who helped orchestrate the al Qaeda attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

During his trial in 2007 his lawyers argued that he knew nothing of the plot. But prosecutors said at the time that he played a central role by handling the finances of several members.</s>BERLIN (AP) - Germany is preparing to deport a Moroccan man convicted in Hamburg of helping three of the Sept. 11 attackers as they got ready to strike New York and Washington.

Mounir el-Motassadeq was convicted in 2006 of membership in a terrorist organization and accessory to murder for his part in the plot.

The 44-year-old was sentenced to the maximum 15 years but received credit for time served after his November 2001 arrest.

Hamburg Interior Ministry spokesman Frank Reschreiter said that el-Motassadeq "will leave the country soon," but wouldn't specify exactly when he'd be returned to Morocco, saying authorities didn't want to jeopardize the procedure.

He said that "all the necessary procedural steps for this have been ticked off according to plan."

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2007 file picture Moroccan Mounir El Motassadeq waits prior his trial at a court in Hamburg, northern Germany, The Moroccan man has been sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence in Germany for helping three of the suicide pilots in the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer, Pool)</s>Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Germany on Monday began plans to deport a member of the Hamburg cell that planned and carried out the Sept. 11 terror attacks after the completion of his 15-year prison sentence.

Mounir el Motassadeq, 44, who acted as a bookkeeper for the cell and handled money transfers, will be sent to Marrakesh, Morocco. Hamburg Interior Ministry spokesman Frank Reschreiter would not reveal exactly when the transfer will take place out of safety fears, but armed police officers escorted Motassadeq to an airport Monday.

"All the necessary procedural steps for this have been ticked off according to plan," Reschreiter said.

A German court sentenced Motassadeq to 15 years in prison in January 2007 for his role in the terror attacks, which left nearly 3,000 people dead. He was convicted and sentenced based on the deaths of 246 people aboard the four airliners used in the attacks.

Motassadeq said that though he knew and prayed with the terror cell led by Mohamed Atta he was not aware of the 9/11 plot. He moved to Germany in 1993 to study engineering and spent some time in a military training camp in Afghanistan in 2000. It is believed his wife and three children are in Morocco.

German officials banned Motassadeq from returning to the country until April 2064.

"This measure will allow us to arrest him immediately should he set foot on German soil again," Frauke Köhler, a spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutors Office, told DW.
Mounir el-Motassadeq, sentenced to 15 years in prison as a member of the Hamburg cell of the September 11 attackers, was deported from Hamburg, Germany to Morocco.