Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen, implicated in France for remarks deemed "
contrary to the values of the Republic
" and targeted by a European arrest warrant, was arrested on Friday, September 30 near Mons, Belgium.
The French Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced at the end of July the expulsion of this preacher, on file S (for state security) by the general directorate of internal security (DGSI) "
for eighteen months
", according to him.
The expulsion order accused him of "
a proselytizing speech interspersed with remarks inciting hatred and discrimination and carrying a vision of Islam contrary to the values of the Republic
".
Read alsoIn the North, the fall of the clan of Imam Iquioussen
Not found since the green light from the French Council of State for his expulsion at the end of August, the preacher - born in France and of Moroccan nationality - was then the subject of a European arrest warrant issued by a judge. instruction from Valenciennes (North), for "
evasion of the execution of a removal decision
".
Where are we now and what are the next steps?
Judicial cooperation is underway between Belgian justice and French justice.
The procedure for handing over the imam to France could take several weeks, a source familiar with the matter
told
Le Figaro .
If Hassan Iquioussen agrees to be handed over to France, Belgium has ten days to comply.
But if he refuses, which is likely, he will have to be handed over to the French authorities within 90 days, as detailed in an article in the daily
La Libre
on the functioning of the European arrest warrant in Belgium.
An administrative procedure will then take over.
“
At the end of this legal procedure, there will be an administrative procedure.
Mr. Iquioussen will be placed in an administrative detention center and will be deported to his country of origin (Morocco, editor’s note)
,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin himself said on Friday.
Problem, Morocco suspended at the end of August the “
consular pass
” which it had issued at the beginning of the month to Imam Iquioussen in order to allow his expulsion by France to this country.
Morocco explained this decision by the fact that "
there had been no consultations with the Moroccan authorities
", the day after the decision of the Council of State opening the way to his expulsion.
The future of this 58-year-old imam is therefore still very uncertain for the time being.