WANTED: Rachid Rafaa

PHILIPSBURG – Police in Sint Maarten are warning that a wanted Al-Qaeda terrorist could be traveling in the waters of the Eastern Caribbean by boat.

The Korps Politie Sint Maarten (KPSM) or Sint Maarten Police Force said people living in the Eastern Caribbean such as the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten should be on the look out for 40-year-old Rachid Rafaa of Morocco.

Rafaa fled Martinique and is still wanted for further questioning by French authorities there, according to information the KPSM gleaned from Interpol and Caricom Operations.

He is a computer scientist by trade, but has ties to Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and is considered highly dangerous. He was born on June 30, 1976 in Morocco.

Authorities are not certain if Rafaa escaped from Martinique by aircraft or boat, so they are warning the governments in the Eastern Caribbean to use all due caution at air and sea ports of entry.

Rafaa is likely to be using a false identification to make international travel easier for him as a wanted fugitive.

He has been wanted as a fugitive since late 2009 by Morocco. Rafaa is accused of playing an active role in Al-Qaeda Internet communications.

If you believe that you have seen Rafaa or know someone who knows of his whereabouts you are asked to immediately contact with the police department by calling (in Sint Maarten) 1721-5491125 / 911 / the police tip line 9300 or 54-22222.

https://www.facebook.com/Police.sx/

Cold weather mugshots of Rachid Rafaa.

http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/martinique/rachid-rafaa-un-parcours-qui-laisse-perplexe-383043.html

http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/qui-est-rachid-rafaa-le-djihadiste-presume-en-fuite-en-martinique-382923.html