Larbi Mohamed

Larbi Mohamed, born in Algeria on July 8, 1974, and residing in Cervinara (AV), was sentenced by the Court of Assizes of Naples on January 10, 2008, and the sentence was confirmed by the Court of Assizes of Appeal of Naples on October 27, 2009, to 6 years of imprisonment for the crimes of facilitating illegal entry, receiving stolen goods, forgery, and association for the purpose of international terrorism.
The charges include supporting the SGPC (Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat) and al-Qaeda, planning terrorist attacks, facilitating illegal immigration, producing false documents, fundraising, spreading propaganda, and preparing explosives or toxic substances. Considered a member of the “Salerno Group,” an autonomous cell linked to the SGPC, Mohamed played a significant role within the organization, which was founded in Algeria in September 1998 after a split from the Armed Islamic Group (G.I.A.) led by Emir Hassan Hattab. The SGPC is known for its discipline and targeting of military and state representatives, using support networks in Europe to raise funds and recruit militants. European investigations revealed the SGPC’s support from groups affiliated with Bin Laden, utilizing “sleeper cells” for missions in the West. Since 1998, the SGPC has created clandestine cells in Europe, with supporters in Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, and London. Arrests in Frankfurt, London, and Milan confirmed the group’s links to al-Qaeda. Listed as a terrorist group by the EU and UN, the SGPC became al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in January 2007, following Hattab’s ousting in 2003.
Larbi Mohamed was expelled from Italy and sent back to Algeria in 2010. Specifically, Larbi Mohamed was investigated for his involvement in producing false documents for association members, as well as providing false statements of hospitality and fictitious residency certificates in Italy. Monitored conversations with militants operating in England showed a strong relationship between the Salerno Group and the England cell. Finally, Mohamed was found in possession of propaganda material advocating violent jihad and catalogs on GPS and radar systems, suggesting that document forgery and trafficking were conducted as part of satellite tasks for the transnational organization.