Arrest

 

Kadre was arrested in London on 9 November 2002 and charged with offences under the Terrorism Act.

 

On 30 November 2002, a French judge issued an international arrest warrant against Kadre in connection with an investigation into the so-called Frankfurt group, which had planned to carry out an attack in the eastern French city of Strasbourg in December 2000. The charges were based upon extremely circumstantial evidence that would unlikely be accepted in a British court.

 

The allegations amounted to fingerprints found at a flat in Germany which they said were Kadre’s; another individual arrested; supposed intercept evidence obtained and an assertion by an ‘informant’ that Kadre made statements, “highly critical of France”.  However, the British courts ruled that the court is “not concerned with proof of the facts.”

 

Detention

 

Kadre was then held in Belmarsh prison for four years, awaiting extradition to France.

 

Although he had been convicted of having a false passport he had not been charged with any terrorist offences in the UK.

 

Miscarriage of Justice

 

On 16th December 2004, he was convicted, in his absence, by the Paris Criminal Court (Tribunal Correctional de Paris) of involvement in a plot to bomb the city of Strasbourg Christmas market. He was sentenced to six years imprisonment, followed by a permanent ban from French territory.

 

Imprisonment

 

He was extradited to France in June 2006. Rabah did not seek a retrial after being advised by his lawyers that he would be held in prison longer than the existing sentence whilst awaiting a retrial.

 

Deportation

 

He was released from Val de Reuil prison on 15th April and deported from France to Algeria on 15th April 2008. He was initially detained in Algiers but released after ten days on the 27th April.

 

Condition

 

Rabah Kadre was released on Sunday 27th April and has now been reunited with his family.