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| Africa North |
| Abu Zakaria: "Those who speak on our behalf must take responsibility" |
| 2011-06-02 |
| [Ennahar] The official front man of the group whose initiative was launched last year by the founder of the Salafist ...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't... Group for Preaching and Combat, Hassan Hattab, Abu Zakaria, who was a member of the Council of Elders and President of the Medical Committee of the GSPC, wants to put an end to the controversy between some parties regarding a future release of Islamist prisoners involved in terrorism cases. The latter denied everything that was announced by "those who claim to speak on his behalf or on behalf of Hassan Hattab" and added they have made no statement until now. In a statement yesterday to Ennahar, Abu Zakaria said that this is the first statement he makes to the press, and that as the official spokesperson on behalf of the initiative, he ignored all about the statements to the press, either those relating to the release of Islamist prisoners who are in prison for terrorist activities or those relating to the initiative addressed to the President of the Republic asking him to promote national reconciliation into a general amnesty. The initiative made by the former Emir of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat ... now known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb... (GSPC), Hassan Hattab, alias "Abu Hamza" Abu Zakaria, who has benefited from the provisions of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, expressed his surprise at the controversy raised by this information, and avoid accusing any party whatsoever. "I did not speak to anyone neither did Hattab, and everyone must take responsibility for his words. We made no statement" he said before adding: "Any time we have things to say, we do it officially. We are in contact with high authorities and we have not heard of such initiative" he concluded. |
| Posted by:Fred |