Christian Ganczarski, now in French custody, was an ideological leader in the terrorist network who helped plot attacks, an official says. A German convert to Islam accused of ties to the Sept. 11 plotters and the bombing of a Tunisian synagogue is a significant figure in Al Qaeda who was allegedly planning a new attack, France’s interior minister said Wednesday. Nicolas Sarkozy told legislators at the National Assembly that Christian Ganczarski “is a high-ranking member of Al Qaeda who has been in contact with Osama bin Laden himself.” Ganczarski was arrested here last week after arriving from Saudi Arabia. Sarkozy’s comments reaffirm those made by investigators in France, Spain and elsewhere that the 36-year-old German stood out among an international roster of converts accused of becoming die-hard Al Qaeda fighters. Non-Arab recruits have become increasingly important to terrorist groups because they are likely to have a better chance of evading the worldwide crackdown on the Al Qaeda network. Full Story
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