Bulgarian court rules to extradite brother-in-law of Charlie Hebdo attacker to France
Sofia City Court ruled on August 16 to extradite Mourad Hamyd, brother-in-law of Charlie Hebdo attacker Cherif Kouachi, to France, Bulgarian National Radio reported.
Hamyd, the 20-year-old French citizen arrested in Bulgaria in connection with alleged participation in an organised crime group preparing terrorist acts, had asked to be extradited at a court hearing last week. Under Bulgarian law, he had three days to withdraw his request, but had not done so.
At the hearing last week, Hamyd said that he was the victim of injustice and declared a terrorist based only on suspicion and claimed to have been mistreated while in custody, an allegation denied by Bulgarian prosecutors.
Hamyd was taken in custody by Bulgaria on July 29. He is the subject of a European Arrest Warrant and is wanted by French authorities to face charges of terrorism.
According to Bulgarian prosecutors, Hamyd attempted to cross the border with Turkey at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on July 28, but was denied because he was subject to a five-year entry ban by Turkish authorities. The head of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security was informed, and he issued an order for Hamyd to be deported to Serbia, but before it could be carried out, Bulgarian authorities received the European Arrest Warrant on July 29 and Hamyd was taken into 72-hour custody.
Bulgarian Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova told reporters that Hamyd had been taken into custody because he exhibited behaviour typical of a would-be “foreign fighter”.
