ISLAMIC TERRORIST TOO ILL FOR COURT
Judge agrees to stall bail hearing for one week
AN Islamist terrorist, who may have been living in Ireland for 22 years while a fugitive from France, was unable to attend court yesterday due to medical reasons.
Abderrahmane Yahiaoui, an Algerian in his 50s, will appear before the High Court again next Thursday when he is expected to apply for bail.
Mr Justice Paul Burns said he had received a letter detailing the medical reasons why he could not attend and adjourned the hearing.
Yahiaoui was convicted of terror offences involving the trafficking of weapons and sentenced in his absence to six years in prison. He has been living in Ireland since the early 1990s.
Gardai attached to the Extradition Unit arrested Yahiaoui on Friday following an alert through the PULSE and the Schengen Information systems.
The cancelled court appearance came as the Garda Commissioner and Justice Minister marked six months since Ireland connected to the Schengen Information System.
Yahiaoui was arrested after
he was identified via SIS II.
Under the system, when an individual’s details are entered on the Garda PULSE system, they are automatically checked against outstanding warrants within the Schengen area of the EU.
In a joint statement, gardai and the Dept of Justice said: “There have been 74 arrests on SIS Article 26 [alerts on persons wanted for arrest for surrender or extradition] and 52 arrests on already endorsed European Arrest Warrants.
“This is double the corresponding figures for the same six months in 2020.”
Commissioner Drew Harris added: “The introduction of the SIS in Ireland has opened up a rapid information exchange gateway for gardai and our colleagues across Europe.
“Since its introduction six months ago, SIS II has enabled us to access and share real-time police data and intelligence, resulting in approximately 126 arrests relating to incidents of serious criminality across the EU.
“The successes of the system to the State and policing for the benefit of all citizens cannot be overstated.”