He asked his wife to help him find a wife for al-Juhani, who was not supposed to be involved in any more fighting. On March 23, 2003, his wife and 10-year-old son Ilyass left the city to try to reach an Ophthalmologist. They had been originally intended to travel with al-Juhani, which caught the attention of the Mabahith secret police. However, al-Juhani argued he wasn't feeling well and asked a brother and his wife to instead accompany el-Mejjati and her son. The group was nonetheless arrested by authorities who hoped that al-Juhani was present. When questioned, his wife confirmed to police that el-Mejjati was indeed living in Riyadh, but refused to write an open letter in the newspapers calling for her husband to surrender himself to authorities stating that he hadn't done anything wrong. After his wife's arrest, he is believed to have fallen in with the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, and to have provided training to its members in a forest outside Rabat. His name was mentioned in connection with the Riyadh compound bombing in May of that year. Days before the May 16 attack in Casablanca, el-Mejjati is believed to have fled to Spain. Arguments that he had dressed as a woman to travel unnoticed were rebuffed by his wife who pointed out he stood 6'4". On June 20, 2003, when it was discovered that al-Juhani had been among the men killed in the Riyadh compound bombings, Saudi Arabia transferred el-Mejjati's wife and son to Moroccan custody, flying them on a private jet through Cairo into Morocco. In September 2003, the FBI issued an alert for four people they alleged "pose a threat to U.S. citizens", including Abderraouf Jdey, Adnan G. El Shukrijumah and the previously unknown Zubayr al-Rimi and el-Mejjati. While in Spain, el-Mejjati became associated with Jamal Zougam, who had helped construct the bombs, leading to the suggestion that he had been involved in the March 11 Madrid bombings. In December 2003, he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment "in absentia" by a Moroccan court, for his role in the Casablanca bombings. On March 17, 2004, his wife and son were released from prison. Police set up a 24-hour stakeout of her house, and watched her every move.