Spanish Trial Begins for Moroccan Imam Accused of Radicalizing Youth

"I have nothing to do with terrorism, I am peaceful and I believe in democracy, justice, dialogue and freedom of expression. I ask for freedom because I have not committed any crime of blood or violence," said Mohamed C. from the stand.

In case the court does not qualify these acts as a crime of terrorism and indoctrination, prosecutor Pedro Rubira and the lawyer of the civil party, Carmen Ladrón de Guevara, demand that the Moroccan be sentenced to three years and six months in prison for passive indoctrination due to the jihadist content found on his computer and mobile phone as well as on his Facebook accounts, reports EFE.

To read: Spanish Imam Faces Trial for Alleged Jihadist Recruitment and Financing

The prosecutor and the lawyer of the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) argue that there is sufficient evidence to convict Mohamed C., specifying that he used his position as imam of the Herrera mosque and president of the ASSAFWA Islamic Cultural Association he created in 2018 to recruit and indoctrinate young Muslims, including Moroccan migrants. At the time of his arrest, he was trying to indoctrinate three young Moroccan migrants under the care of the Basque government, the prosecution recalls.

Mohamed C. was very active on social media like Facebook where he posted content calling for the commission of terrorist acts and the financing of jihad for the benefit of terrorist organizations like Daesh and Al-Qaeda, the prosecution and the AVT lawyer point out, specifying that he had traveled to France to collect more than one hundred thousand euros in cash in radical mosques to finance these terrorist organizations.