HASKOVO COURT ORDERED THE EXTRADITION OF JOAQUIN TO FRANCE ON TERRORISM ALLEGATIONS

On 20th of January, the District Court in the South Bulgarian city of Haskovo ordered the extradition of Fritz Jolie Joaquin to France. The court considered the second extradition request related to the European arrest warrant, which was received on 12th of January by the Bulgarian authorities. It was issued by the court in Paris, with allegations of involvement in terrorism – participation in organized criminal group for preparation of terrorist acts.

The French national, Joaquin, was detained by the Bulgarian authorities on 1st of January while crossing the Bulgarian border into Turkey, following a signal by his wife that he had abducted his 3 year old son and was trying to take him to Syria to be trained in radical Islam.

On 16th of January, Haskovo District Court rejected the request to extradite Fritz Jolie Joaquin to France in connection with the alleged abduction of his three-year-old son. The motives of the court were that the specific circumstances of the case did not constitute a crime under Bulgarian law.