This halal butcher's shop in Brest (Finistère) was the gathering place of a suspected jihadist cell, confirming the fears of the interministerial committee for the prevention of delinquency and radicalization, responsible for the fight against Islamist separatism, which suspected certain community businesses to serve as centers of radicalization, reports France 3.
At the origin of the investigation, information received from foreign services in 2019 concerning a Syrian refugee, who arrived in France in November 2015 with refugee status, which he has since lost. Mohamad D., known as Abou Omar Al-Falastini, almost forty years old, is said to be a former fighter of the Islamic State (IS). The investigators wondered about his regular attendance at a butcher's shop located in Brest called ” Chez Wahid », whose manager Wahid B. had been convicted that year for glorifying terrorism and was suspected of hosting meetings “of the city's radical Islamist movement”.
The rest after this ad
« You kill the whole village »
Mohamad D. was therefore wiretapped. He notably mentioned, during one of his numerous conversations, a planned killing in a village near Brest. “ You kill the whole village in one night, it's easy », he says to his interlocutor. During this conversation, Mohamad D. warns his friend Wahid B. against an informant who works for the police. Another member of the group, Erwan M., a convert, decided to trim his beard so as not to attract attention. He speaks with “ kouffars » (unbelievers) to give the lie, says “ a bit of swear words » and made his wife remove the niqab (full veil) so as not to be noticed. Several other projects are mentioned: football match in Brest, Chinese New Year, etc. In view of the growing risk of taking action, the authorities decide to arrest the suspects in January 2020.
The rest after this ad
Seven men are indicted, including Mohamad D. and Wahid B. After three and a half years of investigation, two anti-terrorism judges ordered the dismissal of six of them for “ criminal association in connection with a criminal terrorist enterprise ».
During his interrogation, Mohamad D. downplays the accusations by explaining that it was all just a game. His lawyer insists that no action “concrete” has not been undertaken. One of the members of the group, Mehdi, is the only one to recognize his desire to commit an attack. Due to his age (sixteen years old at the time of the facts), the trial will take place before the special assize court for minors. The accused will have to answer for their actions from March to April 2025.
