Djamel Nehal
Djamel Nehal, also known by the alias Gheza, was born on January 5, 1968, in Annaba, Algeria. He was convicted in absentia for his involvement in organizing and supporting an international terrorist organization. Djamel was charged under Article 270 bis of the Italian Penal Code for his role in establishing an association with terrorist objectives within the framework of radical Islamic movements, primarily aligned with the Algerian fundamentalist scene. His activities were aimed at promoting, financing, and materially supporting violent acts of terrorism directed against the Algerian state and its citizens.
Djamel’s involvement in terrorist activities was marked by a deceptive endorsement of the Algerian government’s “national reconciliation” project, while he continued to provide financial and logistical support to jihadist groups. During this time, the armed wing of the organization he supported carried out attacks in Algeria, including the January 3, 2005, bombing in Lounici and the March 27, 2005, attack in Chlef. Djamel also played a crucial logistical role in the Italian cell of the group, organizing transportation routes between Naples and Marseille. These routes, ostensibly for the transportation of Algerian immigrants, also served as conduits for moving funds and forged documents to support the group’s operations. He further allowed the use of his Algerian phone number, facilitating communication between militants in Algiers and Milan, including the transmission of messages from the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).
Djamel’s terrorist cell was active between October 2001 and June 2005, operating primarily in Naples, Aversa, Milan, and Vicenza. The cell, part of a broader organization with roots in the disintegration of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in Algeria, was dedicated to recruiting new members, procuring false documents, and raising funds to support jihadist efforts. Investigations revealed the cell’s extensive activities, largely uncovered through telephone and environmental surveillance. The network was firmly entrenched in Algeria, where it had been involved in a long and violent insurgency against the state, employing terrorist tactics to spread fear among the civilian population.
The organization to which Djamel belonged had a transnational reach, with branches in countries such as Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. These cells were tasked with rallying support among the Algerian diaspora, gathering financial aid, recruiting fighters for deployment to Algeria, and providing safe havens for militants who had been involved in combat or were under judicial scrutiny in their home countries. Despite the existence of multiple subgroups under different names—such as the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and GSPC—these cells operated as part of a unified network dedicated to a violent global jihad against apostates and non-believers.
The Naples-based cell, to which Djamel was connected, served as the operational hub, where funds collected in various Italian cities were sent to Algeria to support jihadist fighters. Djamel’s network utilized a bus route between Naples and Marseille to transport both money and falsified documents. The cell also played a significant role in acquiring and distributing propaganda material, aimed at inciting and preparing the Muslim community in Italy for jihad.
Wiretapped conversations revealed discussions about Algeria’s “national reconciliation” project, which aimed to offer amnesty to militants of outlawed groups. While part of Djamel’s organization seemed open to negotiating with Algerian authorities, the more radical faction, particularly based in Milan, rejected any form of reconciliation, insisting on the violent promotion of radical Islamic principles.
In 2011, the Public Prosecutor requested a six-year prison sentence for Djamel. The Court of Assizes of Naples sentenced him to five years in prison and ordered his expulsion from Italy upon the completion of his sentence.
