Munir Awad ( ar, منير عوض) is a
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
-born citizen of
Sweden who was convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in Denmark.
Munir Awad, and his fiancée were arrested in Kenya in 2007 when Ethiopian forces invaded Somalia and foreigners were detained as suspected terrorists. In 2009 police who arrested them in Pakistan found a suicide belt in their luggage. On December 29, 2010 Awad was arrested in Denmark and in 2012 was found guilty of plotting a terrorist attack in revenge for
''Jyllands-Postens publication of Muhammad cartoons.
[
][
]
Arrested in Kenya
Munir Awad, and his fiancée (daughter of
Helena Hummasten, head of the
Muslim Council of Sweden
The Muslim Council of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges muslimska råd, SMR) is an umbrella organisation of Islamic organisations in Sweden. It was founded in 1990 by representatives of the United Islamic Parishes in Sweden ( sv, Förenade islamiska försam ...
), were arrested in
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
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, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
...
on January 18, 2007 having fled Somalia after Ethiopian forces, with
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
support, invaded
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. Though his partner referred to Awad as her husband they were not legally married at the time since she was below the legal age.
The pair describe being held in extrajudicial detention following the invasion, together with a large number of foreigners, among whom were the family of US islamist
Daniel Maldonado.
They were eventually released.
[ They told reporters for ]Press TV
Press TV (stylised as PRESSTV) is an Iranian state-owned news network that broadcasts in the English and French languages owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the only organization legally able to transmit radio and TV broadc ...
that the soldiers who captured them were led by Americans and that Americans ran their interrogations.
According to an interview his fiancée gave to Raymond Bonner of the '' International Herald Tribune'' her interrogators kept asking her questions about a trip they said her boyfriend took to Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
to recruit jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...
s. Benaouda told her interviewer that she told her interrogators that Awad had never been to Denmark, and that he did not convert to Islam until after 2004.[
]
His fiancée said she and her boyfriend had traveled to Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, on vacation, but were disappointed at how commercialized facilities for tourists were. So they traveled to Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
to see a more traditional Muslim culture. They arrived in Somalia shortly before it was invaded.[
]
Arrested in Pakistan
On August 20, 2009 the pair and their young child were apprehended in Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, together with fellow Swede Mehdi Ghezali
Mehdi Mohammad Ghezali ( ar, مهدي محمد غزالي), in media previously known as the Cuban-Swede ( sv, Kubasvensken), is a Swedish citizen of Algerian and Finnish descent who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guanta ...
, and nine other non-Pakistanis.[ Ghezali is reported to have told authorities that they were traveling to ]Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
to participate in a Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat (, also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party")
is a transnational Deobandi Islamic Dawah, missionary movement
that focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant
and encouraging fellow memb ...
conference. Mohammad Rizwan, the chief of police of Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan (), abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population. Lying west of the Indus River, it is the headquarters of Dera Ghazi Khan District and ...
, who arrested them, told the press that their luggage included a laptop computer, $10,000 USD and a knife.
During his 43-day incarceration Helena Benaouda, the mother of his partner campaigned for their release.
In May 2010, Awad was invited to speak at a seminar criticizing the anti-terrorism laws of Sweden organized by Muslim Human Rights Committee (MMRK).
In November 2010, Cageprisoners
Cage is a London-based advocacy organisation which aims to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror. Cage highlights and campaigns against state policies, developed as part of the War on Terror. The organisation was formed to raise awa ...
and MMRK published a report asserting Munir Awads innocence.
2010 Copenhagen terror plot
On December 29, 2010 he was once again arrested in Denmark, this time for the Copenhagen terror plot that was allegedly planning a "Mumbai-style" attack in revenge for the ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy. In addition to Awad the suspects include 30-year-old Swede Omar Abdalla Aboelazm, 44-year-old Tunisia
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, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
n national Mounir Dhahri, and 37-year-old Swede of Tunisian descent, Sahbi Zalouti. In June 2012 Awad along with the three other suspects were found guilty by the Danish court and they were sentenced to twelve years in prison.
The state prosecutor demanded a 14 year sentence, while a lay judge A lay judge, sometimes called a lay assessor, is a person assisting a judge in a trial. Lay judges are used in some civil law jurisdictions. Lay judges are appointed volunteers and often require some legal instruction. However, they are not permane ...
recommended a 10 year sentence. The judges chose a sentence of 12 years.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awad, Munir
Lebanese emigrants to Sweden
Swedish Islamists
Swedish people imprisoned abroad
Swedish extrajudicial prisoners of the United States
1981 births
Living people
People convicted on terrorism charges
Islamic terrorism in Sweden