Pentagon: suspected 9/11 recruiter captured in Syria

An “outspoken, flamboyant Islamist” who “relished any opportunity to extol the virtues of violent jihad” and was tied to the 9/11 attacks was caught in Syria.

By: World Israel News Staff

The Pentagon on Thursday confirmed statements by a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-affiliated group battling Bashar Assad’s regime, announcing the capture of Mohammad Haydar Zammar, a Syrian-born German national linked to the Sept. 11, 2001 US attacks.

Known as a staunch advocate of “violent jihad,” Zammar was captured in Syria by US-backed forces over a month ago, announced Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon. The arrest is “part of [the SDF’s] ongoing operations to defeat ISIS inside Syria,” continued Pahon.

“We are working with our SDF partners to obtain additional details,” Pahon said.

According to the Congressional account on the 9/11 attacks, Zammar was an “outspoken, flamboyant Islamist” who extolled “the virtues of violent jihad.” He was also fingered as the a “possible recruiter” of the 9/11 attackers.

“Zammar reportedly took credit for influencing” a number of members of the primary terrorist cell responsible for the attack, explains the Congressional report.

Zammar had been previously detained by the CIA in late 2001 in Morocco, and was subserviently transferred to the Syrian government, which sentenced him to 12 years in prison for membership in the Muslim Brotherhood. Zammar was apparently released as part of a prisoner swap between Islamist rebels and the Assad regime.