France: Convicted Jihadist Stripped of Citizenship

Here is an interesting story out of France. A French-Moroccan man who had joined the jihad in Syria and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to prison in France, has had his French citizenship stripped. What is confusing in the article is that the man in question, Miloud Maalmi, was reportedly born in Strasbourg and has dual nationality. In the last paragraph of the below article, it states that only those not born in France can be stripped of their citizenship.

Should other countries follow France’s example? 

At any rate, the below article from today’s Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/strasbourg-un-djihadiste-dechu-de-sa-nationalite-francaise-20240605

Strasbourg: A jihadist stripped of his French nationality

By Le Figaro with AFP

Posted two hours ago

Caption: “He reintegrated perfectly, got involved in football, opened a business, earned his living, and got married,” claims his lawyer, Attorney Stanislaus Mandelkern.

The French-Moroccan was part of a group of 10 Alsatians who left for Syria in December 2013. His lawyer says he is “surprised” by this decision because his client had “completely moved on.”

A French-Moroccan from the Strasbourg jihadist network, convicted of having stayed in Syria several months, was stripped of his French citizenship by a decree published Wednesday in the official  Journal. (official government bulletin).

Miloud Maalmi, 34, born in Strasbourg, was part of a group of 10 Alsatians who left for Syria in December 2013. This group included, notably, Foued Mohamed-Aggad, killed during the Bataclan attack on November 13, 2015 after having murdered 90 persons in the hall of the Paris event center along with two accomplices. (The others) remained in Syria, (and) two were shortly thereafter killed, while the other seven, including Miloud Maalmi, returned to France between February and April 2014. Miloud Maalmi was sentenced on appeal to seven years in prison in May 2017.

During questioning in 2016, the seven Strasbourg residents told how they had left the chaos of Syria. Miloud Maalmi was the first to flee, which led to him being labeled a traitor by the other Strasbourgers. He told how he slipped into a convoy headed to the Turkish border, having passed checkpoints even though he had no authorization, and entered Turkey across fields. Without money or papers, at Istanbul, he convinced the porter of a hotel to give him lodging by showing him his soccer photos, having been a professional in Germany. Aided by his lawyer, Miloud Maalmi then reentered France, redoing his papers, and declaring the theft of his bank card. In mid-May 2014, he and the other members of the network were arrested.

His lawyer “surprised”

Queried by AFP (Agence France Presse), his lawyer, Attorney Stanislaus Mandelkern, said he was “surprised” because his client had served an exemplary detention, and there had been no problems since his release from prison. “He reintegrated perfectly, got involved in football, opened a business, earned his living, and got married.” According to the counsel, his client “has completely moved on” and anticipated this decision by settling himself in Morocco a few months ago. This is the 13th stripping of nationality decreed since the start of the year, after eleven in 2023, and the 40th since 2019. 

Already on May 24, Mokhles Dahbi, 35, another French-Moroccan member of this Strasbourg network, was also sentenced on appeal to seven years in prison, having been stripped of his French citizenship along with two other men connected by the Gendarmerie to Jihad-inspired terrorism, according to the magazine, L’Essor. Stripping of citizenship can be decided in case of attack upon the fundamental interests of the nation or in case of conviction for terrorist crimes. It can only be applied to dual nationals not born in France and is pronounced by decree.