FRANCE-SHOOTING/BULGARIA Bulgaria court decides on extradition of man allegedly linked to Paris attackers

Record ID: 324421

  • Title: FRANCE-SHOOTING/BULGARIA Bulgaria court decides on extradition of man allegedly linked to Paris attackers
  • Date: 20th January 2015
  • Summary: HASKOVO, BULGARIA (JANUARY 20, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CENTRAL COURT BUILDING CENTRAL COURT SIGN PEOPLE WALKING ALONG CORRIDOR COURT DISPLAY BOARD PEOPLE WALKING IN CORRIDOR SUSPECT'S NAME ON LIST VARIOUS OF POLICE ESCORTING SUSPECT TO COURTROOM POLICEMEN GUARDING COURTROOM POLICE ESCORTING SUSPECT START OF HEARING (SOUNDBITE) (Bulgarian) DEFENCE LAWYER, RADI RADEV, SAYING: "The decision will be extradition. In any case he will have to go back to France and the prosecutors there should prove the allegations against him about terrorism and criminal activity." COURT ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Bulgarian) PROSECUTOR, DARINA SLAVOVA, SAYING: "The court decided to notify the Supreme Prosecutors office, which in ten days should organise the actual extradition with French authorities." VARIOUS OF SUSPECT BEING ESCORTED AFTER END OF HEARING
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bulgaria
  • Country: Bulgaria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA1E2P9G0EVA8T4I7G3XPX2JE1C
  • Story Text: A Bulgarian court decided on Tuesday (January 20) to extradite a man suspected of knowing or having been in touch with one of the two Islamist militants who shot 12 people dead in Paris on January 7.
    "The decision will be extradition. In any case he will have to go back to France and the prosecutors there should prove the allegations against him about terrorism and criminal activity," defence lawyer Radi Radev said.
    Prosecutor Darina Slavova said the extradition would be organised within ten days in coordination with the French authorities.
    Using a European arrest warrant alleging that he had abducted his three-year-old son and was likely to take him to Syria, Bulgarian police arrested Fritz-Joly Joachin, 29, on January 1 at a border checkpoint when he tried to cross into Turkey.
    According to the arrest warrant, Joachin's wife told authorities on December 30 that he had converted to Islam 15 years ago, had become radicalised in recent years and was likely to take their son to Syria.
    The chief prosecutors' office in the Bulgarian capital Sofia confirmed that a second warrant was issued on the grounds that Joachin was part of a criminal group planning terrorist acts.
    Joachin had agreed to be sent back to France when the final decision came from a Haskovo court on Tuesday.
    Joachin has acknowledged his connections to the brothers and even played football with them, but he denies being part of an Islamist militant group and is ready to be extradited to France to prove his innocence, according to his lawyer.
    France has been on high alert since seventeen people including journalists and police were killed in attacks in Paris two weeks ago.
    Three days of violence began with a shooting attack on the Paris offices of political weekly Charlie Hebdo, known for its satirical attacks on Islam and other religions.
    Police arrested five Chechens in southern France on Tuesday on suspicion of preparing an attack, a police source said.
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