View source for Essam Marzouk

{{Short description|Egyptian spy}}
{{Infobox War on Terror detainee
| name           = Essam Marzouk
| image          = 
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| birth_place    = [[Cairo, Egypt]]
| death_date     =
| death_place    =
| detained_at    =
| id_number      =
| group          = {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Al-Qaeda]] and
[[Egyptian Islamic Jihad]]
| alias          = Essameddin Hafez,<ref>Halawi, Jailan. [[Al-Ahram]], [http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/432/eg15.htm Pre-emptive strike against Jihad] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012080327/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1999/432/eg15.htm |date=2008-10-12 }}, June 2–9, 1999</ref>{{-}}Isam al-Din Hafez,<ref>Webman, Esther. [http://www.tau.ac.il/dayancenter/islam99.pdf Political Islam at the Close of the Twentieth Century] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604133913/http://www.tau.ac.il/dayancenter/islam99.pdf |date=2011-06-04 }}, p. 14</ref>{{-}}Fawzi Mesit Ibn Fahd Al Harbi,<ref name="csisMahjoub">CSIS, Summary of the Security Intelligence Report concerning Mohammad Zeki Mahjoub</ref>{{-}}Abu Thir El Masri<ref name="csisMahjoub"/>{{-}}Adnan<ref name="csisMahjoub"/>
| penalty        = 15 years imprisonment
| status         = Imprisoned 
| occupation     =
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}}
An Egyptian resident of [[British Columbia]],<ref name="help">{{cite news |last= Bell|first= Stewart|date= October 13, 2005|title= Bin Laden's B.C. Helper|url= https://www.pressreader.com/canada/national-post-latest-edition/20051013/281517926513790|work= National Post|access-date= March 8, 2018}}</ref> '''Essam Hafez Mohammed Marzouk''' (عصام حافظ محمد مرزوق) arrived in [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada in 1993 as a [[refugee]] fleeing persecution in [[Pakistan]].<ref>Global Terrorism Analysis: Terrorism Monitor, [http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369755 Volume 3, Issue 15] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011221312/http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369755 |date=2007-10-11 }}, July 28, 2005</ref><ref name="cbc"/> He was one of 14 people subjected to [[extraordinary rendition]] by the [[CIA]] (in 1998, from Afghanistan to Egypt) prior to the 2001 declaration of a [[war on terror]].<ref>''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'', [http://motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/disappearing-act-rendition-numbers Disappearing Act: Rendition by the Numbers], March 3, 2008</ref> Marzouk was the contact point for a bin Laden terrorist cell in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sachs |first1=Susan |title=A Nation Challenged : Bin Laden's Allies; An Investigation In Egypt Illustrates Al Qaeda's Web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/21/world/nation-challenged-bin-laden-s-allies-investigation-egypt-illustrates-al-qaeda-s.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref>

In 1999, he was sentenced in Egypt to 15 years [[hard labour]] for being a member of the Egyptian terrorist group [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad|al-Jihad]] and for his role as an al-Qaeda training camp supervisor that trained two of the embassy bombers in the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A model life, a model operative |url=https://www.pressreader.com/canada/national-post-latest-edition/20051014/281706905075069 |website=National Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=B.C. refugee may have terrorist links |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/b-c-refugee-may-have-terrorist-links-1.273593 |website=CBC News}}</ref> Marzouk was released from prison during [[Mohamed Morsi]]'s presidency and was later arrested in [[Malaysia]] after a failed terrorist plot then got deported back to Egypt.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sherman |first1=Ray |title=Malaysia: Police Arrest 9 Linked to African-Based Terror Group |url=https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/militants-arrested-03102019113208.html |website=Benar News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=H. Rodzi |first1=Nadirah |title=Malaysia arrests nine suspected foreign militants, says they plan mass attacks abroad |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/nine-suspected-militants-arrested-by-malaysia-amid-fears-of-large-scale-attacks |website=The Straits Times}}</ref>

== Life ==
Born to a wealthy engineer in [[Cairo]], Marzouk grew up in a 5th-storey apartment at 2 Doctor El-Mahroky Street in the suburban Mohandeseen district of Cairo.<ref name="help"/> Following his service in the [[Egyptian Army]], he told his father he wanted to study in the United States, but instead moved to the [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]] along the [[Pakistan-Afghanistan border]] at the age of 19.<ref name="help"/><ref name="mossad"/>

In 1986 and 1987, he worked as an [[ambulance]] driver at the [[Red Crescent]] hospital in [[Peshawar]], [[Pakistan]] where he met Egyptian-Canadian [[Ahmed Khadr]],<ref name="child"/><ref name="model"/> and later worked with the [[Muslim World League]].<ref name="help"/>

From 1988-1993 he is alleged to have run an [[Afghan training camp]] for [[Egyptian Islamic Jihad|al-Jihad]].<ref name="csisJaballah">[[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]], [http://cas-ncr-nter03.cas-satj.gc.ca/rss/Jaballah.pdf Summary of the Security Intelligence Report concerning Mahmoud Jaballah]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, February 22, 2008</ref>

== In Canada ==
In 1993, Marzouk acquired two fake Saudi passports and flew to [[Khartoum, Sudan]], on May 23. Once there, he acquired tickets to fly from [[Damascus, Syria]], to [[Vancouver]], British Columbia, Canada, connecting with [[Lufthansa]] Flight 492 in [[Frankfurt, Germany]].<ref name="help"/>

Dressed as a Saudi [[sheikh]] and calling himself Fawzi Al-Harbi,<ref name="help"/> he was arrested in Canada when immigration official Gordon Peterson became suspicious of his story of being an "Arab volunteer" in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ordered a search of his luggage and found his fake identity cards.<ref name="mossad"/><ref name="child">[[Michelle Shephard]], "Guantanamo's Child", 2008.</ref><ref name="eyes">Bell, Stewart. [[National Post]], "Under Western Eyes", October 14, 2005</ref> [[Ali Mohamed (double agent)|Ali Mohamed]] had travelled from California to meet Marzouk at the airport. Airport security noticed him waiting for "Al-Harbi" and questioned him, before releasing him. While in prison, on charges of using a forged document, fraud and illegally entering the country, Marzouk applied for refugee status, claiming he feared religious and political persecution in Egypt.<ref name="help"/> He was once shown a ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine article about the [[World Trade Center bombing]] in 1993, and asked if he knew any of the people involved, in the presence of his lawyer Phil Rankin.<ref name="model">{{cite news |last= Bell|first= Stewart|date= October 14, 2005|title= A model life, a model operative|url= https://www.pressreader.com/canada/national-post-latest-edition/20051014/281706905075069|work= National Post|access-date= March 8, 2018}}</ref>

Six months after Marzouk's arrest, Mohamed returned from his trip to Sudan where he met with [[Osama bin Laden]], and brought [[Abul-Dahab]] with him. Dahab later told Egyptian interrogators he had withdrawn $3,000 from a [[California]]n bank account on orders of bin Laden himself,<ref name="report">Bell, Stewart. [[National Post]], "Report says bin Laden paid bail in Canada"</ref> to offer as [[bail]] money to Marzouk's lawyer.<ref name="report"/> The pair hoped to have Marzouk released and possibly smuggle him into the United States.<ref>Lance, Peter. "Triple Cross", 2008</ref> Mohamed was viewed suspiciously and subsequently detained by the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) himself. However, after a brief phone call with U.S. [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) agent John Zent, Mohamed was identified as a CIA agent.<ref>Oziewicz, Estanislao. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', "Canada freed top al-Qaeda operative", November 23, 2001</ref> Marzouk spent nearly a year in detention in Canada before his refugee status was confirmed and he was released.<ref name="report"/> Canadian authorities prevented him from being given [[permanent resident]] status due to their suspicions,<ref name="threat">Shephard, Michelle. [[Toronto Star]], "Branded as Terrorist Threat, Men Languish in Toronto Jail", July 17, 2004</ref> and instead granted him refugee status on December 12, 1994.<ref name="help"/><ref name="csisJaballah"/>

Rankin allowed him to move briefly into his family home, describing him as "very polite" and allowing him to babysit his young son.<ref name="help"/>

Marzouk married a Canadian woman named [[Yasmine Mohammed|Yasmine]],<ref name="model"/> who bore him a child.<ref name="mossad"/> He was tentatively employed as a [[truck driver]], and was living on [[social assistance]] with a net worth of approximately C$20,000 and was being physically followed by Canadian intelligence agents.<ref name="report"/><ref name="threat"/> 

In 1997, the FBI found Marzouk listed in an [[address book]] taken from [[Wadih El-Hage]]'s [[Nairobi]] house.<ref>Bell, Stewart. [[National Post]], "US Embassy Bombers had Canadian Ties", March 19, 2002</ref> 

That year, Marzouk co-founded an [[International trade|import-export]] business named ''4-U Enterprises'' with his "best friend" in Canada, former Egyptian [[Amr Hamed]] who shared his love of sports.<ref name="cbc">[[CBC News|CBC]], "[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/b-c-refugee-may-have-terrorist-links-1.273593 B.C. refugee may have terrorist links]", November 15, 2001</ref><ref name="model"/> The two shared their faith openly, and would sometimes disappear into the forests of the coastal mountains for days at a time as a [[spiritual retreat]] to [[hafez|memorise the Quran]].<ref name="model"/> In February 1998, he sold off his company assets.<ref name="model"/>

== Arrest and imprisonment ==
After five years, and his wife getting a divorce from him,  Marzouk left Canada and flew to [[Turkey]], where he is believed to have met with [[Ahmad Agiza]] before returning to Eastern Afghanistan.<ref name="model"/><ref name="burke"/> After his friend Hamed was killed in [[Operation Infinite Reach|the American bombing]] of an [[Afghan training camp]], as retaliation for the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]],<ref name="dozens">[[National Post]], "Dozens of Canadians join Jihad terror camps", October 22, 2003</ref><ref name="trib"/> Marzouk flew to [[Dubai]] and onward to [[Europe]], before quickly doubling back to Dubai and booking a flight to [[Azerbaijan]].<ref name="model"/>

In August, a [[wiretap]]ped phonecall tipped off the Israeli [[Mossad]] that a rendez-vous between [[Ihab Saqr]] and an Iranian [[Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)|MOIS]] official was planned in [[Baku, Azerbaijan]]. Without a bureau in Azerbaijan, they contacted the American [[CIA]], who allowed a Canadian-raised Mossad agent to unofficially tag along as seven or eight CIA officers based in [[Frankfurt]] oversaw a local police raid on the Baku hotel room on August 20.<ref name="mossad">{{cite news |last= Bell|first= Stewart|date= October 15, 2005|title= Mossad's Canuck gets his man|url= https://www.pressreader.com/canada/national-post-latest-edition/20051015/281487861743211|work= National Post|access-date= March 8, 2018}}</ref><ref name="salah1">Salah, Muhammad. [[Al-Hayah]], "Bin Ladin Front Reportedly Bought CBW from E. Europe", April 20, 1999</ref><ref name="salah2">Salah, Muhammad. [[Al-Hayah]], "US Said Interrogating Jihadist Over CBW", April 21, 1999</ref>

When the Azeri police received confirmation that Saqr was in his hotel room drinking coffee with others, they stormed the room grabbing all three people they found present and brought them still barefoot to the police station. The Iranian official hadn't yet shown up, and they had instead arrested Saqr, as well as [[Ahmad Salama Mabruk]] and Marzouk, who was wearing a "shabby business suit".<ref name="mossad"/><ref>Ross, Michael and Jonathan Kay. "The Volunteer: The Incredible True Story of an Israeli Spy on the Trail of International Terrorists", 2007. pp 214-224</ref> They were brought to the police station, where the Mossad agent says the police "beat the crap out of them".<ref name="mossad"/>

Marzouk was [[extradited]] to Egypt, who initially denied they had him - during which time he alleges he was tortured. He was accused of acting as a trainer to two of the embassy bombers. He was put before a [[military tribunal]] on March 16, 1999, as part of the [[Returnees from Albania]] trial, with [[Montasser al-Zayat]] as his lawyer.<ref name="mossad"/> He was sentenced to 15 years [[hard labour]].<ref name="cbc"/><ref name="burke">Burke, Jason. [[The Observer]], "[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/nov/18/terrorism.afghanistan al-Qaeda's trail of terror]", November 18, 2001</ref> Marzouk was released from prison during [[Mohamed Morsi]]'s presidency and was later arrested in [[Malaysia]] after a failed terrorist plot then got deported back to Egypt.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sherman |first1=Ray |title=Malaysia: Police Arrest 9 Linked to African-Based Terror Group |url=https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/militants-arrested-03102019113208.html |website=Benar News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=H. Rodzi |first1=Nadirah |title=Malaysia arrests nine suspected foreign militants, says they plan mass attacks abroad |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/nine-suspected-militants-arrested-by-malaysia-amid-fears-of-large-scale-attacks |website=The Straits Times}}</ref>

In November 2001, the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] investigated claims that an "al-Qaeda office" in [[Kabul]] had [[business card]]s reading ''4-U Enterprises'' and included an address for a rented [[postal box]] in a B.C. [[convenience store]].<ref name="cbc"/><ref name="trib">Salopek, Paul. [[Chicago Tribune]], "A chilling look into terror's lair", November 18, 2001</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|3}}

{{AzeriTerrorism|state=collapsed}}
{{PakistanTerrorism|state=collapsed}}
{{Al-Jihad|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marzouk, Essam}}
[[Category:Truck drivers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Cairo]]
[[Category:People from Vancouver]]
[[Category:Egyptian expatriates in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Egyptian people imprisoned abroad]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:People extradited from Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:People extradited to Egypt]]
[[Category:Egyptian emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Egyptian refugees]]