Zakaria Boufassil, who gave cash to Brussels bombing suspect, says agency got information from him before his arrest

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A Birmingham man who gave cash to the “man in the hat” Brussels bombing suspect claims he was recruited by MI5 and then “thrown to the wolves”, it can now be disclosed.

Zakaria Boufassil, 26, said he held several meetings with the British intelligence agency’s personnel, who paid him £3,000 for information and bought him gifts, including Camel cigarettes, a Samsung mobile phone and clothes.

Boufassil and Mohammed Ali Ahmed, 27, also of Birmingham were jailed on Monday for handing over £3,000 to Mohamed Abrini at a meeting in Small Heath Park, Birmingham, on 11 July 2015. Abrini earned his nickname “man in the hat” after being spotted on CCTV at Brussels airport just before the bombings in March.

Boufassil was sentenced to three years in prison, while Ahmed was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Boufassil claimed the MI5 officers approached him after Abrini was arrested in April. Six weeks after sharing what he knew with MI5 about his meeting with Abrini, Boufassil was arrested by West Midlands police on his return from a holiday in Morocco which he claims to have paid for with the money from MI5.



Boufassil had hoped to tell the jury about his alleged recruitment by MI5 but the prosecution objected on the grounds of relevance and admissibility and it was ruled out by the judge, Mr Justice Baker.

Boufassil was found guilty last week of engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism. His claims can be reported after an attempt to keep them secret by prosecutors was dropped.

At a legal argument hearing held away from the jury in Boufassil’s trial, his defending barrister, Dorian Lovell-Pank QC, said: “In Zakaria’s eyes, he feels he was effectively picked up by MI5 and was pumped and dumped.

“He found himself approached by the security service and he was reluctant at first, then more gradually, he told them what he knew about Abrini and the meeting in the park.

“He was told by MI5 he wasn’t in any trouble and was told they were interested in signing him up or having him on their books.

“He feels he ceased to be of any use to them and he was effectively thrown to the wolves.”

The prosecution said they could “neither confirm nor deny” Boufassil’s claim, which is a standard response from MI5.

The money given to Abrini was taken from an account that held overpaid housing benefits, the court heard.

Abrini, 31, was arrested in Belgium and accused of “participating in terrorist acts” linked to the Brussels Zaventem airport suicide bombing on 22 March. The Belgian Moroccan was also wanted by French authorities over the 13 November 2015 attacks in Paris in which 130 people died.

Abrini fled Brussels airport after his two alleged accomplices blew themselves up. He had been on Europe’s most-wanted list since being identified as one of two suspects seen on CCTV travelling in a car two days before the Paris attacks.

During his UK visit, which took place between 9 and 16 July 2015, Abrini visited Old Trafford football stadium and the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester and the Bullring in Birmingham, as well as casinos in both cities, after travelling from Syria via Turkey.

A number of images were found on the phone he had been using, including one of a roulette machine, a number of pictures of Manchester United’s ground, and some of a moth in a hotel room.

Abrini claimed he had not been on any “reconnaissance trips in relation to preparatory terrorist attacks” in either Birmingham, Manchester or London.

He said there was no plan to attack the UK because the country has a “more developed secret service” as well as “better observation techniques”.

The court heard how money was taken from an account held by Anouar Haddouchi, an associate of Ahmed who previously lived in Birmingham and had travelled to Syria to fight for Islamic State. The account contained overpaid housing benefits totalling £5,413 that had been paid between 21 December 2014 and 1 November 2015.

Ahmed used a replacement debit card for the account to make 17 withdrawals between 30 May and 30 June 2015, and £3,000 of the cash was handed to Abrini in Small Heath Park. Ahmed pleaded guilty last month to the same charge against Boufassil.

During his trial, Boufassil admitted meeting Abrini in the park, but denied it had anything to do with terrorism and its funding.

He insisted Ahmed had never communicated his plans, but took advantage of his naivety and had not told him that Abrini, who he claimed to never have met before, was a “bad person”.

He said he was a cannabis user and a “moderate and tolerant” Sufi Muslim. He said members of Isis were “worse than animals”.