A 54-year-old convicted Islamist from the Winterthur milieu is being held in isolation. The authorities find the danger for his fellow inmates too great.
He is considered one of the most dangerous Islamists in Switzerland: Azad M. According to the authorities, the Iraqi from the Winterthur Salafist scene belongs to the middle ranks of the Islamic State terrorist militia. From here he planned a suicide attack in Lebanon and transferred money to terrorists. And he tried to indoctrinate numerous people with the radical Salafist ideology.
The 54-year-old has already been legally sentenced for this – to a high prison sentence of 5 years and 4 months 65. And to a country expulsion for 15 years.
However, that did not stop the man from continuing to infiltrate, direct and promote IS. According to federal prosecutors, he issued two assassination orders from prison to kill his ex-wife and someone else in Iraq.
A ruling by the Federal Criminal Court’s Appeals Chamber now gives new insights into the actions of the ardent IS supporter behind bars. And it shows that the man has not strayed an inch from his ideology. On the contrary.
Limbs cut off for cross tattoo
According to the paper, he spread fear and terror among his fellow inmates. He is said to have threatened an Eritrean to cut off his head and arms because of his cross tattoo. He quickly established himself as a prayer leader in prison and regularly held prayer hours in his cell. His sermons are a mixture of IS propaganda, intimidation and attacks on those of other faiths.
The Federal Criminal Court ruled that the Iraqi’s manipulative actions in questions of faith would trigger fears among the other prisoners. Various inmates complained that the Iraqi had shown photos of executions from his files during the religious rituals.
The broadly built man with the full black beard and dark hair is said to have made other conspicuous statements. In the run-up to a phone call, he said, according to the files, that democracy is not everything – the motto “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is better. Some would only understand the slogan “blood against blood”.
The Iraqi also acted according to this motto with regard to his ex-partner. The man is said to have instructed several of his fellow inmates to take the order to kill the woman outside, to individual members of his family. Among other things, the investigators suspect that the IS supporter could instruct his stepson to harm her – his own mother.
The man has already given a similar order in the past. Like talking to his mother. She informed him last year that his nephew had been killed – and that the Kurdish PUK party was responsible. The mother said: “The whole family is waiting for your instructions.” Azad M.’s response: “Mom, tell them to go to this man and let him die!”
All these incidents meant that the man’s freedom was severely restricted. He is in solitary confinement and is no longer allowed to receive visitors. The telephone calls to his mother, during which a translator and a member of the federal criminal police were always present, were banned. And the correspondence is translated and monitored. He can only exchange information with his defender without checking the content.
The 54-year-old defended himself against this foreclosure. The rigid prison regime is inhumane – especially in relation to the imminent release from prison in October of this year. He demanded immediate authorization for regular telephone contact with the mother and for going out in the yard with other inmates. He also asked for permission for visits from his stepson.
However, the Federal Criminal Court does not want to know anything about this. In the injunction, the Appeals Chamber dismissed all of the claims. She sees the security detention and the contact restrictions as reasonable. Mainly to protect fellow inmates.
In its decision, the Appeals Chamber refers, among other things, to a psychiatric report. Accordingly, the Iraqi can be assumed to have a manipulative character with an exceptionally strong fixation on the extremist-Salafist ideology.
The expert notes that “every contact between the suspect and the risk of abuse exists” – “although it is to be feared that this will manifest itself within fractions of a second”. In plain language: Murder orders are to be feared. This does not only mean possible instructions from Azad Ms to his stepson. Such orders could also be given to others.
The danger of such instructions is also great when it comes to making outside calls. They are not diminished by the fact that the interpreter and a police officer are present at every conversation. According to the court, it can be assumed that the Iraqi used code language to convey messages to his family members. However, the code words are unknown. In the case of monitored correspondence, specialists should therefore check the correspondence and intervene accordingly.
New criminal case against the Iraqis
But what happens in October when the Iraqi prisoner ends? Will he simply be released – despite the danger that the court says he poses? A new criminal case is already underway against the man for his actions during detention. He is accused, among other things, of inciting the intentional killing of his ex-wife and of suspected violations of IS law.
Last summer, the 54-year-old was transferred to another prison. A judicial assessment of his alleged actions in detention is still pending. However, the federal prosecutor’s office is expected to bring charges in the near future. The case of the IS Iraqi will therefore keep Switzerland busy for a long time.
The decision CN.2022.2 of April 12 is not yet final.