site.btaSuspect Detained in Bulgaria for Links to Islamic State Consents to Be Extradited to France

Suspect Detained in Bulgaria for Links to Islamic State Consentsto Be Extradited to France

Sofia, August 10 (BTA) - Mourad Hamyd, who is held in Bulgaria on suspicions of involvement in a terrorist group, declared his consent to be extradited to France at a hearing of his case by the Sofia City Court on Wednesday.

Hamyd, 20, brother-in-law of "Charlie Hebdo" attacker Cherif Kouachi, entered Bulgaria from Serbia, declaring to the border authorities that the purpose of his visit was tourism. On July 28, Hamyd crossed into Turkey, where he was detained because of a five-year bar on entering that country. The Turkish authorities returned him to Bulgaria. On July 28, he was accommodated at a centre for illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, information was received from France, according to which he was an especially dangerous travelling fighter of Islamic State. On these grounds, the Chairperson of the State Agency for National Security ordered his expulsion from Bulgaria and a ten-year bar on entering the country. Hamyd was due to be handed over to Serbia, but a European Arrest Warrant issued by France arrived on July 29, and he was detained in Bulgaria. The French authorities want him in connection with terrorism-related activities.

Under the law, the suspect has three days to renounce his consent. The Sofia City Court will render a final ruling next week, after the expiry of the three-day time limit.