Romanian Intelligence Service Well-Informed On Terrorist Omar Hayssam’s Escape – Service Head

Maior said SRI has thoroughly looked into Hayssam's escape, although it did not know Hayssam was planning to flee Romania, adding, however, that SRI should have approached Hayssam's escape more professionally.

Maior stressed that after Hayssam fled Romania, SRI thoroughly looked into his escape, gathered in-depth information and sent the file to the Oradea Court of Appeals, which will start trying the case in November.

He also pointed out that Hayssam is now held in custody in Syria and that the Romanian authorities have taken the necessary measures to have Hayssam extradited.

Maior said he is convinced Hayssam will be extradited and will serve his prison sentence in Romania, but declined to mention an exact date.

The Hayssam case will be tried at the Oradea Court of Appeals after the Supreme Court admitted in May this year the request to have the case transferred from the Bucharest Court of Appeals.

As regards the Hayssam case, Romanian daily Gardianul recently published the minutes of a discussion supposedly held in September 2005 between Hayssam and general Constantin Degeratu, who, at that time, was in charge with security issues at the presidential administration.

According to the paper, Hayssam said during talks with Degeratu that President Traian Basescu promised to set him free if the three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq were released.

Basescu recently said the recording of the conversation between Degeratu and Hayssam is illegal and was held in a prosecutor's office.

Late November 2007, prosecutors charged Mustafa Tartoussi, Mukhles Omar and Mahmoud Omar with aiding the escape of a terror suspect and Hayssam was charged with illegally exiting the country.

Investigators established that, between June 23 and 30, 2006, Tartoussi and Omar Mahmoud and Mukhles planned and aided the escape of Hayssam, accused of terrorism by organizing and financing the kidnapping of three Romanian journalists in Iraq.

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