Radical Islamic imam Abu Ramadan, a migrant from Libya, is accused of illegally obtaining as much as 590,000 Swiss francs (£455,335/$596,700) between 2003 and 2017.
The 66-year-old, who lives in the municipality of Nidau, is accused of fraud for not declaring income while he was receiving state welfare benefits from the Swiss government, 20 Minutes reports.
Ramadan has denied the charges and disputed the accusations levelled against him, telling Swiss media that he is trying to clarify any misunderstandings with officials but did not want to comment any further on the case.
The charges are not the only legal problems for the radical imam. He is also accused of inciting hatred against Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and Shiite Muslims during a sermon at the Ar’Rahman mosque in Biel.
Switzerland Arrests Islamic State Fighter Who Posed as Asylum Seeker https://t.co/mfP6cFqpgZ
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 27, 2019
Ramadan has also recently lost his refugee status, and if found guilty of any of the charges he could be deported from the country.
He would not be the first imam to be deported from Switzerland for hate preaching. In May, a Somali imam, who was also an asylum seeker, was deported after his asylum application was rejected.
The imam was said to have preached at the infamous An’Nur mosque in Winterthur, an area of Switzerland that has become known as a hotbed for Islamic extremism. He had previously been arrested after calling for the death of Muslims who refused to participate in prayers.
Swiss journalist Kurt Pelda warned of the danger posed by the An’Nur in 2015 stating: “We do not know exactly what he has done in Syria, but there is every indication it has to do with ISIS… ISIS has a cell in Winterthur in the An’Nur mosque, let there be no doubt.”
In late November, Swiss authorities arrested an alleged Islamic State fighter who had been living in the country as an asylum seeker for six months.
Switzerland: Over 80 Percent of Somali Migrants on Welfare https://t.co/V7abxZ0ixc
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 30, 2019
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.