An Algerian influencer, placed in pre-trial detention, will be tried on February 24 for “public apology for an act of terrorism”

An Algerian influencer arrested Friday morning in Brest following the publication of videos on Tiktok calling for violent acts was placed in pre-trial detention on Saturday, January 4, following his police custody, the prosecutor said of the Republic of Brest, Camille Miansoni, in a press release. Aged 25, Youcef A. will be tried on February 24 by the Brest criminal court for “public apology for an act of terrorism”, added the prosecution. He faces a sentence of seven years' imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 euros, specifies the prosecutor.

He was arrested on Friday in Brest for advocating terrorism and making death threats, following the broadcast of videos on TikTok. It was the Pharos platform for reporting illegal content on the internet which raised the alarm by notifying the Brest police station on 1^is January. Police officers intervened on Friday around 6 a.m. in a popular neighborhood of Brest to arrest Youcef A., accused of having called for attacks, as well as another man, aged 41, also Algerian, suspected of being his accomplice and with whom he was staying.

The prosecution opened an investigation which led to the arrest of the two individuals. Both were placed in police custody, but the influencer's host was exonerated and released. Youcef A. admitted to being the author of the videos and explained that his message “targeted opponents of the regime in place in Algeria”specifies the magistrate. Older videos had also been posted at least since October 2024.

“Burning alive, killing and raping on French soil”

Friday evening, a second Algerian influencer, Imadtintin, was also arrested and placed in police custody in Echirolles, near Grenoble, for videos similar to those of Youcef A. He was placed in police custody following death threats made “because of race, ethnicity, nation or religion”declared the Grenoble public prosecutor, Eric Vaillant.

Aged 31, he published a video, now removed, calling for “burn alive, kill and rape on French soil”according to a capture of the video taken by the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, who had mentioned comments “despicable”. The police custody of this suspect was extended on Saturday evening and the facts were reclassified as direct provocation of an act of terrorism committed by means of an online public communication service, the Grenoble public prosecutor said on Saturday. .

In the evening, Bruno Retailleau, who had already announced the first arrests, reported the arrest of another “Algerian influencer”. “He too will have to answer for the vile remarks made on TikTok before the courts. Don't let anything pass”he writes on X.

Originally, Tuesday, December 31, a video was published on the social network TikTok, where the influencer based in Brittany and followed by hundreds of thousands of subscribers, called in Arabic, with French subtitles, to commit attacks in France and violence in Algeria. “When the police informed me that they had detected this video, I asked them to contact the prosecution immediately so that a judicial investigation would immediately give us the means to investigate”explained to AFP the prefect of Finistère, Alain Espinasse. “The Algerian influencer “Zazouyoussef” who called on his community to commit attacks in France will have to answer for his actions in court”promises Bruno Retailleau on X.

Neither S file nor identified for radicalization

According to TikTok, interviewed by AFP, the account in question “was banned after the publication of several videos identified as infringing [les] community rules [du réseau]notably [ses] hate policies ». “Six copies of the videos concerned” were also detected and deleted, adds the platform.

Youcef A., born in Mostaganem, in northwest Algeria, said he arrived in France in 2020 and received a residence permit in March 2023, valid until March 14, 2024, according to Mr. Espinasse. “He had a residence permit as the parent of a French child since he had a child with a person of French nationality”detailed the prefect.

During the urban riots which followed the death of Nahel, in June 2023, Youcef A. was arrested for having taken part in the damage to a sports complex in Brest and sentenced in December to twelve months' imprisonment. “He immediately appealed”which explains why he was not imprisoned, said Mr. Espinasse. The hearing of his appeal trial is “waiting for fixation”according to the Rennes Court of Appeal.

“Given the facts of which he was guilty, when his residence permit expired in March 2024, I decided not to renew it and he was notified on April 18, 2024 of an obligation to leave the territory French (OQTF) »added the prefect, according to which Youcef A. was then “registered in the wanted persons file (FPR)”but was neither on S file nor identified for radicalization.