On the run since September 8th when he was under house arrest since December in Mayenne, Merouane Benahmed, was located in Switzerland. Arrested, he refused his extradition to France.
September 8th, Merouane Benahmed not had not submitted its judicial review . A term of international search was then issued against him. Wanted for 15 days now, the former terrorist was located in Switzerland.
The prosecutor Laval has confirmed his arrest in the night of Wednesday to Thursday. “Merouane Benahmed was the subject of a European arrest warrant. The French authorities have made an extradition request to the Swiss authorities, in order to be heard in France. “
Asylum
The fugitive tried to formulate a request for political asylum. A request that the prosecutor of Laval “confirms nor denies”.
As the extradition request is not accepted, the former terrorist remains in Switzerland. If the extradition request is granted, Merouane Benahmed will be heard by an investigating judge of the Laval court.
The Algerian national of 42 years had fled the home where he was under house arrest at Evron Mayenne.
He opposed his extradition
He was arrested by a group of police intervention Waldensian as he was presented Wednesday at a center recording and procedure in Vallorbe, near Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, to apply asylum, police said Vaudois in a statement. Merouane Benahmed was detained for his extradition, she said.
“Heard by the central public prosecutor Vaud, he opposed to the simplified extradition procedure. It is the ordinary procedure will apply “ , she added.
In practice this means that Switzerland will now have to ask the French authorities to send in Bern a formal extradition request. Switzerland will then analyze this request, which Merouane Benahmed will again oppose.
Before living in Evron, Mayenne, Merouane Benahmed, was assigned in turn to Beaupréau and Segre in the Maine-et-Loire and then in Châteaulin in July 2015 in the Finistère.
Who is Merouane Benahmed?
Merouane Benahmed 43 years. It is presented as an electronics and explosive spécialiste with the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) during the civil war in Algeria (1991-2002). He fled Algeria in 1999. Merouane Benahmed was formed and trained in Afghanistan in the camps of Osama bin Laden, where he rubbed shoulders with Chechen fighters.
With these fighters, it mounts a die with which he participated in the project of an attack in Paris against Russian targets (at the time, an armed conflict between Russia Chechen separatist Muslim). But in 2002, the members of this sector were arrested and Merouane Benahmed, sentenced to ten years in prison. Meanwhile, Algeria condemned to death in absentia for having fought alongside the GIA.
In 2011, Merouane Benahmed is released and allowed to stay in France where he is considered dangerous. He must be extradited to Algeria but the European Court of Human Rights opposes because Algeria applies the death penalty. And no other country (for now) accepts his welcome.
Former terrorist finds himself in an absurd situation. He is forbidden on French soil … where he finds himself under house arrest. In rural communities in each different time (Beaupréau, Segre, Châteaulin …) before arriving in Evron in December 2015.
