Two days after a teacher was beheaded by an Islamist amidst chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’ in Paris, the France Government has decided to come down heavily on suspected Islamic extremists in the country. In a massive crackdown, France is now preparing to expel 231 radicalized foreign nationals, Reuters quoted a police union source as informing on Sunday.
It is being reported that more than 850 illegal immigrants are registered to the File of Alerts for the Prevention of Terrorist Attacks (FSPRT). Out of 231 fundamentalists in the FSPRT who will be deported, 180 people are currently in prison and 51 were due to be arrested in the next hours.
France defines extremists as “people who, engaged in a process of radicalisation, are likely to want to go abroad to join terrorist groups or take part in terrorist activities”.
Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin said that France plans to carry out the expulsion swiftly in response to the recent brutal killing of Samuel Paty, a 47-year-old history teacher. The gruesome attack was executed by a Muslim teenager of Russian origin, Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch A. He stabbed the 47-year-old teacher in his throat, right outside the school, while shouting “Allahu Akbar” for showcasing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed to his students at College du Bois d’Aulne.
He was later shot dead during an encounter with the police. The Muslim youth, born in Moscow, had come to France as a refugee and was out of the radar of the anti-terrorism police. He had earlier been to courts for minor offences. French President Emanuel Macron has condemned the barbaric attack and had dubbed it as ‘Islamist terrorist attack.’
It was revealed that the beheading of the teacher had taken place in the backdrop of an online campaign by the father of a female Muslim student in the class. As per reports, the local mosque (La Grande Mosquée de Pantin) had also joined the online campaign to get Samuel Paty fired. While sharing the video address on Facebook, it had urged fellow Muslims to contact Brahim Chnina, the father of the 13-year-old student.
Although the mosque did not give away personal details of the deceased teacher, it was allegedly a part of the mobilisation campaign that eventually lead to the gruesome crime. Since Friday, the French police have arrested a total of 10 people in connection to the case.
