Suspected militants walk free after plane lands at different airport


AFP

Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print


Suspected militants walk free after plane lands at different airport

Men did not land in Paris at all, but were put on a flight to Marseille

A Turkish police officer gestures as they screen Syrian Kurds crossing the border between Syria and Turkey at the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province on September 23, 2014. The UN refugee agency warned Tuesday that as many as 400,000 people may flee to Turkey from Syria’s Kurdish region to escape attacks. (AFP)

Confusion reigned Tuesday over the whereabouts of three suspected French militants arrested in Turkey who include the brother-in-law of Toulouse killer Mohammed Merah after an apparent bungle by authorities.

The interior ministry had announced that the three men, including the 29-year-old husband of Merah’s sister Souad, had been arrested by French police on their arrival at Paris’ Orly airport after being sent back from Turkey.

But it later turned out that the men had not landed in Paris at all, but were put on a flight to the southern city Marseille where they were  -- to their apparent surprise -- able to walk freely from the airport.

The ministry claimed that after the pilot of the Paris-bound flight refused to allow them on board the Turkish authorities put them on the flight to Marseille.

But it insisted that Paris did not become aware of the change until after the men had landed on French soil.

"They weren’t arrested at all," Apollinaire Legros-Gimbert, one of the men’s lawyers, told AFP.

"They are free but ready to explain themselves and be questioned."

But he said did not know where the men now were.

Police marksmen killed Mohamed Merah after a two-day siege of his apartment in Toulouse in March 2012.

Over the previous two weeks he had gone on a killing spree murdering seven people, including three children at a school in Toulouse.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in June that his sister Souad had gone to Syria.

Another of the trio’s lawyers, Pierre Dunac, said the men were not questioned when they landed.  "As incredible as it might seen, it’s true."

The men are not at large, their lawyers insist, "technically they are not on the run".

They were thought to have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of being part of a network that recruited jihadists for Syria.

An airport source in Paris said earlier Tuesday that the plane they were due to be on "was stopped on the tarmac" at Orly airport near Paris but the three suspects "were not inside," adding that the captain had refused to accept them on the flight after Turkish police failed to provide adequate documents.

French authorities are wary about nationals who have travelled to Syria and Iraq -- where the radical group Daesh occupies large areas -- and may return to their home country to stage attacks.

After Mohamed Merah’s death it emerged that he had visited Pakistan and Afghanistan prior to his attacks and had been on the radar of French intelligence, who had gravely underestimated the threat he posed.

Souad left Toulouse in May for Barcelona, from where she took a flight to Istanbul and then another plane for the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

According to a source close to the case, she is currently in Algeria after having left Syria.

According to Cazeneuve, around 930 French citizens or residents, including at least 60 women, are either actively engaged in Iraq and Syria or are planning to go. Agencies

Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Kemmannu.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.
Please note that under 66A of the IT Act, sending offensive or menacing messages through electronic communication service and sending false messages to cheat, mislead or deceive people or to cause annoyance to them is punishable. It is obligatory on kemmannu.com to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request. Hence, sending offensive comments using kemmannu.com will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Kemmannu.com be held responsible.
Similarly, Kemmannu.com reserves the right to edit / block / delete the messages without notice any content received from readers.




Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Len
View More

Maundy Thursday 2024 | LIVE From St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | Udupi |Maundy Thursday 2024 | LIVE From St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | Udupi |
2 BHK Flat for sale on the 6th floor of Eden Heritage, Santhekatte, Kallianpur, Udupi2 BHK Flat for sale on the 6th floor of Eden Heritage,  Santhekatte, Kallianpur, Udupi.
Kemmennu for sale 1 BHK 628 sqft, Air Conditioned flatKemmennu for sale 1 BHK 628 sqft, Air Conditioned  flat
Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Lenten Hymn "Khursa Thain"Symphony98 Releases Soul-Stirring Rendition of Lenten Hymn
Palm Sunday 2024 at St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVEPalm Sunday 2024 at St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu | LIVE
Final Journey of Patrick Oliveira (83 years) || LIVE From KemmannuFinal Journey of Patrick Oliveira (83 years) || LIVE From Kemmannu
Carmel School Science Exhibition Day || Kmmannu ChannelCarmel School Science Exhibition Day || Kmmannu Channel
Final Journey of Prakash Crasta | LIVE From Kemmannu || Kemmannu ChannelFinal Journey of Prakash Crasta | LIVE From Kemmannu || Kemmannu Channel
ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮಹಾ ಸಂಘ | ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯಾಂಚ್ಯಾ ದಿಸಾಚೊ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ್ 2024 || ಸಾಸ್ತಾನ್ ಘಟಕ್ಪ್ರಗತಿ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಮಹಾ ಸಂಘ | ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯಾಂಚ್ಯಾ ದಿಸಾಚೊ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ್ 2024 || ಸಾಸ್ತಾನ್ ಘಟಕ್
Valentine’s Day Special❤️||Multi-lingual Covers || Symphony98 From KemmannuValentine’s Day Special❤️||Multi-lingual Covers || Symphony98 From Kemmannu
Final Journey of Lionel John Lewis (74 years) | LIVE from Milagres Cathedral | Kallianpur | UdupiFinal Journey of Lionel John Lewis (74 years) | LIVE from Milagres Cathedral | Kallianpur | Udupi
Rozaricho Gaanch December 2023 issue, Mount Rosary Church Santhekatte Kallianpur, UdupiRozaricho Gaanch December 2023 issue, Mount Rosary Church Santhekatte Kallianpur, Udupi
An Ernest Appeal From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of UdupiAn Ernest Appeal From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Diocese of Udupi
Diocese of Udupi - Uzvd Decennial Special IssueDiocese of Udupi - Uzvd Decennial Special Issue
Final Journey Of Canute Pinto (52 years) | LIVE From Mount Rosary Church | Kallianpura | UdupiFinal Journey Of Canute Pinto (52 years) | LIVE From Mount Rosary Church | Kallianpura | Udupi
Earth Angels Anniversary | Comedy Show 2024 | Live From St. Theresa’s Church | Kemmannu | UdupiEarth Angels Anniversary | Comedy Show 2024 | Live From St. Theresa’s Church | Kemmannu | Udupi
Vespers 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuVespers 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Annual Church Feast 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuAnnual Church Feast 2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Confraternity Sunday | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuConfraternity Sunday | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Kemmannu Cricket Match 2024 | LIVE from KemmannuKemmannu Cricket Match 2024 | LIVE from Kemmannu
CHRISTMAS MASS-2023 | St. Theresa’s Church | Live from Kemmannu | UdupiCHRISTMAS MASS-2023 | St. Theresa’s Church | Live from Kemmannu | Udupi
Annual Day 2023 | Carmel English School, Live From KemmannuAnnual Day 2023 | Carmel English School, Live From Kemmannu
Naturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOWNaturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOW
New Management takes over Bannur Mutton, Santhekatte, Kallianpur. Visit us and feel the difference.New Management takes over Bannur Mutton, Santhekatte, Kallianpur. Visit us and feel the difference.
Easter 2023 - Milrachi Lara From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, UdupiEaster 2023 - Milrachi Lara From Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi
Focus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, UdupiFocus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, Udupi