Here is a piece of good news out of Switzerland this week. The federal authorities picked up a Salafist preacher of German-Greek background who was attempting to hold a lecture in a mosque in Biel Saturday evening. Abu Alia al-Yunani, aka Efstathios T., was prohibited from entering the town and escorted back to the German border where he was returned to Germany.
The below article from the Swiss daily, Blick, is translated from German by Fousesquawk.
Taken back to the border by police
Authorities prevent entry of hate preacher in Biel
The German-Greek Salafist, Abu Alia, wanted to hold a lecture in Biel (Canton Bern) on Saturday evening. But that didn't occur. He was banned from entering and taken back to the border.
-Lino Schaeren, Editor
Abu Alia al-Yunani is a radical Salafist. The German-Greek preacher has regularly shown up on the radar of the (German Security Police). On Saturday evening, Abu Alia traveled to Switzerland to hold a lecture. Apparently, the preacher was invited by the Albanian Zemzem Mosque in Biel (Canton Bern). At least, Abu Alia announced his visit on Thursday on social media and alerted the Swiss authorities. Because the planned appearance did not occur.
The canton of Bern applied for an entry ban on Abu Alia with the Federal Police Office (Fedpol). That is confirmed by Bern's Security Director, Philippe Mueller (60, FDP), to Blick. Fedpol only confirms the arrival of the request "in the context of an announced event in Canton Bern on Saturday". According to Blick's information, the Fedpol granted the application from Philippe Mueller on Saturday and imposed an entry ban against the Salafist Abu Alia.
However: Apparently, at this time, he was already in Switzerland. That is what the preacher himself says in response to a query from Blick. His entrance into the mosque in Biel fell through, apparently, because the cantonal police were able to grab him early and take him back to the border
Mosque leadership got cold feet
The leadership of the Zemzem Mosque, where the Salafist wanted to enter, was unavailable for comment. Apparently, however, they had already gotten cold feet on Saturday when 20 Minutes was first to report on the planned lecture. On Saturday evening, on-site police officials reported to Blick that the president of the Albanian Muslim Cultural Association did not want the event to go on.
Abu Alia, real name Efstathios T., has been known to authorities in Germany as a figure in the extremist Salafist scene for several years. The state of North Rhine Westphalia listed the German-Greek as a hate preacher in a 2019 Salafist situation report. Abu Alia was a mainstay in the radical Islamic association, "Invitation to Paradise", where he worked together with the well-known Salafists, Pierre Vogel and Sven Lau. The association broke up in 2011.
19 entry bans against Islamists
In addition, the Salafist appeared in the Ansaar International association in 2017. In 2021, the association was banned by the Federal Interior Ministry because it was suspected of supporting terrorist organizations, including Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with collected donations. The Federal Administrative Court affirmed the ban last summer.
In his attempt to spread his views in Biel (Canton Bern), Abu Alia had to recognize that Switzerland is proceeding resolutely against foreign Islamists. According to the last annual report, Fedpol imposed altogether 19 entry bans against Islamists in 2022. The totals for 2023 are not yet available.
At the end of January, Blick reported that the Islamist star, Mohamed Hoblos, was arrested at Zurich Airport trying to enter Switzerland. The Australian Hoblos was not allowed to leave the building and the next day had to leave Switzerland.
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