France Expels Moroccan Ex-Convict Stripped of Citizenship Over Terrorism Links

In 2007, Rachid Aït El Hadj and four other men, including three Franco-Moroccans and one Franco-Turk, were sentenced to eight years in prison for "participation in a criminal association with a view to preparing a terrorist act." Their involvement in foiled attacks and their links with the jihadist group responsible for the 2003 Casablanca attacks (45 dead and 100 injured) weighed heavily in the balance.

Released between 2009 and 2011, the five men remained under close surveillance. Rachid Aït El Hadj, in particular, raised the concerns of the authorities due to his alleged links with Sid Ahmed Ghlam, the author of the failed attack on a church in Villejuif in 2015.

In 2015, Bernard Cazeneuve, then Interior Minister, stripped the five men of their French nationality. A decision validated by the Council of State in 2016, considering the sanction "proportionate" given the seriousness of the facts and the subsequent behavior of the persons concerned.

On Saturday, March 30, Rachid Aït El Hadj was finally expelled to Morocco. This decision, welcomed by Gérald Darmanin, is part of the French government’s policy of fighting terrorism and protecting the nation.

"Firmness. Thank you to the prefects, police, gendarmes and intelligence service agents. We work hard, but the efforts pay off to protect France," the French Interior Minister tweeted.