S-Listed Man Sentenced for Death Threats Against Imam in French Town

Six months’ suspended probationary imprisonment for two years with a formal ban on going to the mosque in Ussel. This is the sentence imposed on this 38-year-old Ussellois, known for repeated threats against imams and worshippers. In the current case, in addition to the death threat, he is suspected of wanting to take over the mosque, reports the newspaper La Montagne.

The defendant has often distinguished himself in disturbing behavior. "If you don’t get out of the mosque within a month, it’s me who will get you out." These are the words that prompted the imam and some of his followers to file a complaint with the authorities.

Based on the testimony submitted to the file, the prosecutor had the same concerns during his requisitions, stressing the determination of the accused to want to impose a radical practice of his religion within one of the mosques in Ussel. "I don’t want to caricature it, but I can’t rule out that he has the sensitivity of others who have acted."

Despite the many testimonies and a previous one, the man appeared in the dock, detached and rejecting all the accusations, noting that no one is perfect. He stressed that he does not have an "extremist ideology", but that he belongs to the "tabligh movement preaching a very proselytizing Islamism and an ultra-rigorous and literal vision of Islam." "I have traveled with this movement. We go to people’s homes and mosques to preach the good word," he tried to explain.

While three years’ imprisonment had been requested by the prosecutor given the seriousness of the facts charged against the 38-year-old Ussellois, the court finally sentenced him to 6 months’ imprisonment with reinforced probationary suspension for two years, including a ban on going to the mosque in Ussel.