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European Arrest Warrant Issued for Controversial Imam Facing Expulsion from France
Friday 2 September 2022, by
Missing since the Council of State validated his expulsion, the Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen is now the subject of a European arrest warrant.
On July 28, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin requested the expulsion of Hassan Iquioussen from French territory for making speeches "contrary to the values of the Republic," "to the principles of secularism and gender equality" and "anti-Semitic." Rejected by the administrative court, the request for expulsion will be authorized by the Council of State, but it is difficult to get hold of the imam, reports BFM TV.
Several searches carried out on Tuesday at his home proved fruitless. Considered to be on the run, a European arrest warrant has been issued against him. The French authorities suspect a flight to Belgium.
Classified as a security threat for several months, this arrest warrant against the preacher reinforces the French authorities who no longer want him on the territory and who intend to make his expulsion an example of their determination to combat "separatist" Islamist discourse.
Today, several questions arise. Where is Imam Iquioussen? And if he is found, to which country will he be expelled, given that Morocco refuses to welcome him by suspending the laissez-passer that had been issued for this purpose on August 1.