SHARE
COPY LINK

TERRORISM

Geneva terror suspects to receive compensation

The Swiss public prosecutor has dropped the case against two Syrians arrested last December after traces of explosives were found in their car.

Geneva terror suspects to receive compensation
File photo: Emran Kassim

The pair were arrested on December 11th, the day they arrived in Switzerland, after police were alerted about their behaviour.

A case was opened against the men, who were suspected of “the manufacture, concealment and transport of explosives or toxic gases” and of violating Swiss law prohibiting “groups like Al-Qaeda, Islamic State (Isis) and similar organizations”.

They were kept in custody for 50 days and released at the end of January.

Quoting a September ruling from the Swiss prosecutor’s office, news agency ATS said on Wednesday that the case against the men had been dropped and that they would receive damages of 11,000 francs ($11,100) and 12,500 francs ($12,600) respectively.

Their legal costs would also be paid by the Swiss government, said ATS.

Their arrests came during a time of heightened security in Geneva as the terror alert level was raised following the attacks in Paris in November.

At the time Geneva public prosecutor Oliver Jornot told the media that the men’s vehicle  “was at one point used to transport explosives” but that it did not necessarily mean it was the two suspects who did so.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

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. 

SHOW COMMENTS