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Italy to expel controversial imam
Officials in Italy say they are deporting a Senegalese imam who poses a "great threat" to state security. The decision follows recent statements to the media by Fall Mamour, predicting that there would be attacks on Italian soldiers in Iraq.
Bad timing, Fall.
The 39-year-old imam was already being investigated for his financial deals, an interior ministry statement said.
Aren’t they all.
The move comes as Italy prepares for the state funerals of 19 policemen and soldiers killed last week in Iraq. Mr Mamour would be expelled within days, the ministry said without giving further details.
"Pack your shit and get out."
"He (Mamour) was already known to authorities as somebody who received suspect funds," the ministry said. "In addition, for a long time, and even more so since the slaughter of Italian soldiers in Nasiriya, he has launched dangerous initiatives, especially in the present context of international terrorism." The statement said Mr Mamour had several aliases and was best known as the "imam of Carmagnola" — a suburb of the northern city of Turin. Since the Nasiriya attack, several Italian newspapers have published stories on a series of predictions Mr Mamour made weeks before the bombing, in which he warned of attacks against Italian soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The imam said Italy’s troops would be targeted because they were aiding the US-led coalition, adding that further strikes would then follow on Italian soil.
I’m surprised that there haven’t been any attacks on our supporters in Europe. Either they have been pro-active enough in breaking up any terror cells, or our fly paper strategy has drawn all the hard boys into Iraq.
Mr Mamour — who has lived in Italy for 11 years — has previously stirred controversy by his statements on Italian television programmes. During one of the TV interviews, he said he had once fought alongside Osama bin Laden and was linked to the al-Qaeda leader by what he said was a "blood pact".
Posted by: Steve 2003-11-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=21401