Ahmed Ressam
| Ahmed Ressam | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 9, 1967 Bou Ismaïl, Algeria |
| Nationality | Algerian |
| Other names | Nassar Ressam; Anjer Tahar Medjadi; Nabil; Abu Reda; Benni Antoine Noris; Mario Roig |
| Occupation | Thief |
| Criminal charge | 1) an act of terrorism transcending a national boundary; 2) placing an explosive in proximity to a terminal; 3) false identification documents; 4) use of a fictitious name for admission to the U.S.; 5) false statement to U.S. Customs; 6) smuggling; 7) transportation of explosives; 8) possession of an unregistered firearm; and 9) carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony. |
| Criminal penalty | Initially sentenced to 22 years in prison (July 27, 2005), but an appellate court found his sentence to be too lenient, and ordered that it be extended since (February 2, 2010). |
| Criminal status | In prison |
| Children | none |
| Parent(s) | Belkacem Ressam (father); Benoir Malika (mother) |
| Motive | Fulfill a fatwā issued by Osama bin Laden |
| Conviction(s) | On all counts (April 6, 2001) |
 Ahmed Ressam Video Dramatization (Path to 9/11) |
Ahmed Ressam (Arabic: احمد رسام; also Benni Noris or the Millennium Bomber; born May 9, 1967) is an Algerian al-Qaeda member who lived for a time in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He received extensive terrorist training in Afghanistan.
He was convicted in 2001 of planning to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on New Year's Eve 1999, as part of the foiled 2000 millennium attack plots. He was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison, after cooperating with the government in testifying about al-Qaeda and associated terrorist networks. In February 2010 an appellate court held his sentence to be too lenient, and ordered that it be extended. In October 2012, he was re-sentenced to 37 years' imprisonment. He is serving time at ADX Florence in Colorado.
The eldest of seven children, Ressam was born in 1967 and grew up in a town west of Algiers; he graduated from high school in 1988. In 1984 Ressam traveled to Paris, France, for special medical treatments; it was his first time out of Algeria. Ressam failed the exams to college and applied for jobs with police or security forces but was turned down. Over the next four years he worked with his father in a coffee shop.
He left Algeria on September 5, 1992 due to the civil war in the country, entering France on a forged Moroccan passport in the name of "Nassar Ressam". He was arrested on immigration violations in Corsica, a territorial collectivity of France, in November 1993, and France deported him to Morocco on November 8, 1993. It banned him from returning for three years.Morocco determined that he was not Moroccan and returned him to France.
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