ISIS member in Valencia disappears because of judicial negligence

Joachim Veliocas

An Algerian Islamist living in Valencia disappeared two months ago, France Bleu radio said on Monday, May 20. The man is the author of several unambiguous publications on social networks, where he publishes photographs of Kalashnikov rifles and fighters with the words “O Allah, grant victory to the ISIS mujahedeen”. He admitted that some organizations had contacted him to receive packages containing “dangerous materials”.

On March 18, the Valencia Criminal Court sentenced him to one year in prison and banned him from entering French territory for ten years. The man was already obliged to leave French territory due to his previous conviction in a domestic violence case. Upon his departure from the court, he was arrested and taken to an administrative detention center.

The man appealed the ruling and the judge ruled to keep him under house arrest, where one of his acquaintances expressed willingness to host him. The Lyon Appeals Court confirmed the sentence placing him under house arrest with the obligation to attend every day to the Valencia police station. However, he did not appear. This was expected and is an example of the lax French judiciary, recalling that Father Jacques Hamel was assassinated in the summer of 2016 by ISIS activist Adel Kermiche, who had earlier been released under house arrest and had an electronic bracelet.

The French government has not yet learned from its previous mistakes. Where is this Islamist today? Intelligence agencies are looking for him. It was an unnecessary waste of time and energy for the French police, who could have been on other missions if the government would have been locking up ISIS infiltrators.