Man Sentenced for Threatening to Behead French Prefect Over Imam Expulsion
A young man from northern Seine-et-Marne has been sentenced to three months in prison with a probationary suspension of three years for threatening to behead Jérôme Bonet, the prefect of Gard. The Meaux criminal court handed down the sentence earlier this week, dealing with an email threat made last February. The courts prohibited him from contacting the prefect for three years and mandated psychiatric treatment.
The man's anger stemmed from the expulsion of Imam Mahjoubi, who had been removed from France on February 22 for advocating terrorism and making inflammatory remarks. The Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, had requested the Tunisian cleric's residence permit be revoked due to calls for hatred, including describing the tricolor flag as a 'satanic flag.' Bonet had publicly supported the imam's expulsion, which further incited the young man's threats.
Previously, on March 29, the same individual was sentenced to one year in prison, including six months with immediate committal, for making death threats against a magistrate and three public service officials. The two sentences were combined by the Meaux criminal court.
Besides the prefect, the mayor of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, where Imam Mahjoubi was active, also received threats following the imam's expulsion. The mayor has since been provided with an alert system by authorities for protection in case of an attack.
In a statement to France Info, Prefect Bonet emphasized the gravity of Imam Mahjoubi's statements, pointing out that they questioned the core values of the country and fell within the criminal scope of the law.
- The prefect of Gard, Jérôme Bonet, had taken measures prior to the death threats, including ordering the closure of a school where the Quran was taught and which was associated with the mosque of the expelled imam.
- The young man's email threats included specific statements about beheading, which led to his immediate arrest and subsequent conviction.
- The combination of sentences reflects a broader effort by French authorities to crack down on acts and threats that undermine public security and state authority.
