Eight members of the former An'Nur Mosque have been found guilty of threatening and illegally detaining two people who had informed a journalist of suspicious activities connected to the alleged radicalisation of youths. Penalties include a six to 18 months prison sentence for unlawful detention, coercion and threats.
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Keystone-SDA/jdp
العربية
ar
إدانة ثمانية متهمين من المسؤولين في مسجد بفينترتور
In February 2017, nine adults and a 17-year-old were arrested for physically attacking and detaining two Muslims inside the mosque and threatening their families back in November 2016. The victims were believed to have given information to journalists about a preacher who called for non-practising Muslims to be killed.
On Tuesday, a Swiss court found eight of the 10 defendants guilty of carrying out the intimidation at the now-defunct mosque, which was based in the north-eastern city of Winterthur.
The defendants had argued during the trial, which lasted several days, that there had been no attack in the mosque. However, according to the presiding judge, the chronology of the processes in the mosque could be clearly traced thanks to statements by those involved and police call records.
The mosque has long been suspected of having links to radical Islamic movements. It has been in the headlines for allegedly radicalising young Muslims in the region and recruiting jihadist fighters – charges that it has strongly denied. In May 2017, the mosque closed because the rental contract for the premises was not renewed.
A year ago, the Ethiopian preacher at the centre of the controversy was found guilty of promoting violence by a Zurich court. He was sentenced to an 18-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to leave Switzerland.
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Eight held over attacks at Swiss mosque
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Nine adults and a 17-year-old had been arrested on Tuesday for physically attacking and detaining the two Muslims inside the mosque and threatening their families back in November 2016. The victims are believed to have given information to journalists about an imam who called for non-practising Muslims to be killed. One person has since been…
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Keeping tabs on worshippers who may be problematic is not part of a mosque leader’s job, according to the president of the Swiss mosque that once hosted at least three jihadists.
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The preacher was on trial for calling for the burning of Muslims who are not devout enough in their worship. Police arrested the cleric in October of last year, after receiving reports of the controversial sermon delivered at the An’Nur mosque in Winterthur, in north-eastern Switzerland. The man is also charged with distributing pictures of executions…
Controversial Swiss mosque to shut down after Ramadan
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Atef Sahnoun, the president of the An’Nur cultural association that runs the mosque, confirmed the closure to the paper SonntagsBlick. The mosque, located north of Zurich, was originally slated to close by the end of 2016, as the company that owned the property refused to renew the long-term lease. However, a temporary extension was obtained…
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