Irish Muslim named in file on extremists

THE country’s largest Islamic organisation has rejected reports that an Irish Muslim named in a British intelligence dossier on Libyan extremists is a “leading figure” in the community here.

Ibrahim Buisir, 50, who has lived here for 30 years, is listed in a document reportedly abandoned last week at the British embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

The dossier was compiled by M15, the British intelligence agency, and profiled 12 Libyans living overseas.

The file was marked “UK/Libya eyes only” and appears to date from 2004.

It says Mr Buisir, who gained Irish citizenship, was the “subject of a British Security Service investigation” and was a “leading Islamist figure” at a Dublin mosque.

The file claims Mr Buisir, in his capacity as a fundraiser for Islamic charities, collected money for a “variety of extremist Islamic activities”.

It said this included the network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq, who was killed in 2006.

The dossier also alleged Mr Buisir was “central to an Islamist extremist recruitment, facilitation and fundraising network, based in ROI [Republic of Ireland] and Northern Ireland, which attempts to convey individuals to fight coalition forces in Iraq”.

“This network is believed to recruit young Muslims and Muslim converts (often native to ROI) to the extremist cause, provide them with training and then send them into battle in Iraq.”

The mosque referred to is believed to be the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland in Clonskeagh, south Dublin, to which Mr Buisir has previously been linked.

“Sometimes he comes here and sometimes he goes to other mosques,” said Ali Selim, senior staff member at the centre.

“All mosques are open. Anyone can go in and pray. We can’t stop him — he is not doing anything wrong.”

He stressed Mr Buisir was not an influential figure in the Muslim community.

“He is not a leading figure in any mosque. He is not in any committee. He has no type of authority.”

Mr Buisir, also spelled as Mr Boyasseer, has lived here since 1982. He has been on a United Nations list of people associated with al-Qaida since 2009.

The UN Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee claims he was a “close associate” of Osama bin Laden and “collected donations and provided financial assistance” to al-Qaida.

It states he frequently travelled to meet al-Qaida members in Afghanistan, Europe, Africa and the Middle East and received military training in Afghanistan.

Attempts to contact Mr Buisir were unsuccessful. He has denied any involvement in terrorist activity.