He arrived legally in Switzerland but soon decided to try his luck in France as he assumed it would be easier to find a job there. He was stopped by the French police for a routine identity check on 15 July 2005. He was then taken to the police station and handed over to the French intelligence. After 4 days of interrogation during which he was intimidated and threatened of being deported to Tunisia where he would face torture, he was sent to prison. He then spent three years and a half in pre-trial custody during which he learnt French so that he could address the questions of the judge during his trial. However, he was not given this opportunity and was sentenced over terrorism charges, largely on the basis of torture evidence obtained in Algeria. During his detention, he was also sentenced to 47 years of prison in absentia under Ben Ali’s regime.