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French leader abandons plan to strengthen state of emergency Paris prosecutor: Suspect charged with terrorism offenses
(about 4 hours later)
PARIS — French President Francois Hollande has decided to abandon a bill that would have revoked citizenship for convicted terrorists and strengthened the state of emergency, because of a deadlock in parliament. PARIS — A 34-year-old Frenchman arrested last week has been charged with a string of terrorism offenses for allegedly plotting an imminent attack and operating an explosives arsenal of what prosecutors called “unprecedented scale.”
In a rare address to reporters following the weekly Cabinet meeting, Hollande said Wednesday he had no choice. France’s two houses of parliament disagree on the bill and a compromise “seems out of reach,” he said. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said Wednesday that the suspect, Reda Kriket, is accused of participating in a terrorist group with plans for at least one attack, possessing and transporting arms and explosives, and holding fake documents, among other charges.
“I very much regret that attitude.” Kriket is believed to have traveled to Syria in 2014 and 2015 and made several trips between France and Belgium, Molins said.
At least three other people are in custody in the case in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Molins did not say whether Kriket’s purported plot was linked to the Islamic State network behind last week’s attacks in Brussels and last November’s attacks in Paris. Before the Paris attacks, Kriket and the suspected Paris plot ringleader were convicted in absentia last summer on terrorism charges.
Two Algerians believed linked to Kriket’s alleged plot are being held in Brussels. The Belgian federal prosecutors’ office said Wednesday that the men, identified as Abderrahmane A. and Rabah M., will face a hearing April 7.
Another Frenchman linked to Kriket, Anis Bari, is being held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, Molins said. Bari is resisting extradition to France.
Among things found when police searched Kriket’s apartment in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil on Thursday were 500 grams of the explosive TATP, 1.3 kilograms of industrial explosives, several bottles of oxygenated water and acetone, material to make detonators, five automatic rifles, seven cell phones, stolen passports and two computers showing links with jihadi groups, Molins said.
Also Wednesday, French President Francois Hollande decided to abandon proposed legislation that would have revoked citizenship for convicted terrorists and strengthened the state of emergency, because differences between the two houses of parliament could not be resolved.
He had submitted the two proposals days after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.He had submitted the two proposals days after the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.
The Socialist president’s proposal to revoke the citizenship of convicted terrorists who had dual nationalities prompted a heated political dispute, with the far right applauding the idea while some on the left denounced it as a divisive measure.
Opponents of the measure say it would create two classes of citizens — dual nationals who could lose their French citizenship and French citizens who cannot — in opposition to the principle of equality set out in France’s constitution.
The rule could not be applied to people who are French citizens only, as France’s obligations under international law prevent it from leaving a person stateless.
The same bill aimed at introducing the state of emergency into France’s Constitution in order to adapt the state of emergency to a long-term threat.
Under the current law from 1955, the state of emergency lasts 12 days and can be extended for an indefinite period by a vote of the parliament.
The “threat remains higher than ever,” Hollande said, adding he is committed to “ensure our country’s security and protect the French from terrorism”.
The country’s state of emergency, swiftly declared by the government on the night of the attacks, was recently extended to May 26. It extends some police powers of search and arrest and limits public gatherings, among other changes.The country’s state of emergency, swiftly declared by the government on the night of the attacks, was recently extended to May 26. It extends some police powers of search and arrest and limits public gatherings, among other changes.
Some human rights defenders say the proposal to revoke citizenship of dual nationals implicitly targeted France’s Muslim community, the largest in Western Europe — including many who were born in France but also hold citizenship in Morocco, Tunisia or Algeria. ___
About 50 human rights and anti-racist organizations and unions had launched a petition to reject the measure. Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
“That measure proposed by the far right to target the French of Maghreb and African origin would have put in jeopardy the principle of equality”, the anti-racism organization SOS Racisme said in a statement released Wednesday.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.