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MUSLIM

Man claims ‘scientific’ interest in explosives after police raid

A Swiss man whose apartment was raided by police has protested against the seizure of explosive material found at his home, saying he simply had an interest in chemistry.

Published: 5 August 2016 09:27 CEST
Man claims ‘scientific’ interest in explosives after police raid
The Swiss man said France "deserved" the attack on Paris that killed 130 including many at the Bataclan concert hall (pictured). Photo: Matthieu Alexandre/AFP
The 31-year-old from Arlesheim, in the canton of Basel-Country, is a Muslim convert who calls himself Abdullah and has close links to the Swiss Islamic Central Council (CCIS), wrote Blick on Thursday.
 
He was known to police as a potential Isis sympathizer since sending a private message on Facebook shortly after the terror attack on Paris last November in which he said France “deserved” the atrocity that killed 130 people, said the paper.
 
“There should be more attacks on that dirty country,” he wrote.
 
Speaking to Blick, the man said armed police carried out a dawn raid on his flat and seized 800 grams of red phosphorus, a substance that can be used to make explosives.
 
Objecting to the seizure, Abdullah said he bought the phosphorus legally online and was interested in making bombs after seeing a film on the subject. 
 
He had already experimented with the substance in a forest and had posted videos of his activity online.
 
However his interest was “purely scientific”, he told Blick. 
 
“I have less and less sympathy for Isis,” he added. 
 
The federal public prosecutor confirmed to the paper that the raid took place and chemical material was seized.  
 
Proceedings have been opened against him for violating the Swiss ban on terror groups including Isis.
 
The CCIS later said it was suspending the man, reported news agencies.

CRIME

Hoax bomb threats against French airports ‘traced to Swiss email’

Repeated bomb threats against dozens of French airports which led to evacuations and flight cancellations have been 'traced to an email address in Switzerland', according to French authorities.

Published: 23 October 2023 09:13 CEST
Hoax bomb threats against French airports 'traced to Swiss email'

More than 70 bomb threats have been made against French airports in the past week, leading to evacuations at dozens of airports and at least 130 flights cancelled.

Most of the alerts were triggered by emails warning of a bomb in the airport – more than 70 such emails have been received by airports around the country such as Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris Beauvais, Marseille and dozens of smaller airports – including Basel-Mulhouse on the Franco-Swiss border. 

On Sunday French Transport Minister Clément Beaune said that “almost all of the threats have been traced to the same email address, situated in Switzerland”.

He added: “Since Wednesday, it is almost always the same email address that is used, located outside the European Union, in Switzerland”.

He called on hosting sites to help the French authorities, saying: “Everyone has a responsibility, including the platforms and social networks, not to support this kind of attack and to cooperate as quickly as possible with the French civil aviation authorities and our justice system.”

In France, the maximum penalty for making a hoax bomb threat is two years in jail and a €30,000 fine.

As well as airport evacuations and flight disruption, French tourist sites have also been hit with bomb hoaxes – the Palace of Versailles has been evacuated seven times in the past week.

It comes in the context of a tense situation in France as the country raised its terror alert to maximum after an apparent Islamist attack on Friday, October 13th in which a teacher was killed and two others wounded.

Security at large events such as the Rugby World Cup matches has been stepped up. 

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