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Mourad Hamyd, a French citizen sought by France to face charges of attempting to join the Islamic State group in Syria or Iraq, has asked Sofia City Court to be extradited immediately from Bulgaria.
Hamyd, 20, was detained in judicial custody in Bulgaria last week on a European Arrest Warrant issued by the French authorities. French media reports describe Hamyd as a brother-in-law of Ch?rif Kouachi, one of the perpetrators of the terror attack on Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper in Paris last year.
The court denied Hamyd’s request that the hearings were held behind closed doors. He then asked to be extradited to France immediately - an option granted to him by law, Bulgarian public radio broadcaster BNR reported on Wednesday.
Hamyd’s court-appointed Bulgarian defence lawyer Dragomir Aleksandrov explained that the French citizen asked to be extradited to France because the Bulgarian authorities allegedly didn’t treat him well and he didn’t understand the reason for his arrest.
The prosecution rejected Hamyd’s claim of mistreatment in custody.
The court is expected to issue a final ruling after the expiry of the three-day period, during which Hamyd has the right to withdraw his request to be extradited, BNR said.
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