Tuesday

28th Nov 2023

Paris attacker tops EU ‘most wanted’ list

  • Soldiers still patrol the streets of Brussels, EU capital, months after the Paris murders (Photo: Miguel Discart)

The face of Salah Abdeslam, the alleged mastermind of the Paris attacks, topped a new EU “most wanted” list, published on Friday (29 January).

The list, put out by Europol, the EU’s joint police body in The Hague, also featured Mohamed Abrini, his driver, describing him as “very dangerous and armed … Anyone who sees this man, is asked not to take any initiative but immediately inform the police.”

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The site features 45 fugitives from the 17 member states taking part.

Most of them are wanted for murder, armed robbery, rape, or for being part of organised crime syndicates.

Zakaira Benaissa, the third most wanted on the list, for instance, is a Belgian serial killer. He’s on the run for three years for the so-called Manga murders, by reference to notes he left with victims citing Japanese cartoons.

The list is a call for the general public to send information.

Tens of thousands of people clicked on it on Friday. But the heavy traffic caused it to crash shortly after breakfast time and it was unavailable for most of the day.

If someone sees Abdeslam and files an online alert, it’s pinged to their home country’s Fast unit, or Fugitive Active Search Teams unit, which is meant to share it with other Fast units in EU capitals.

Europol itself just hosts the website.

The 17 EU participating states name the “most wanted” targets and follow up bilaterally or multilaterally.

Tine Hollevoet, a Europol spokeswoman, told EUobserver The Hague only knows something has happened if “someone is arrested and taken down from the site”.

She said the list is supposed to fill information gaps in EU public awareness.

“All of them [the EU’s most wanted] have already appeared in the media on a national level, but not on an international level. For example, an Italian target could be hiding in Sweden or elsewhere. Criminals have no boundaries, so we believe that if we all look for them together, we’ll have a bigger chance of arresting them.”

Not referring directly to Abdeslam, she added: “For all the targets that are on the list, there is … a strong reason to suspect that these suspects are somewhere hiding in another EU country.”

Interpol

The initiative mirrors Interpol’s wanted persons list.

But Interpol member states aren’t obliged to extradite suspects to each other, even if Interpol, which is based in Lyon, France, issues a 'red notice'.

The EU targets are subject to a European arrest warrant, which obliges all 28 member states to hand over fugitives.

Interpol has come under fire for listing the wrong people, because some 'rogue' member states abuse it to hunt political opponents.

The EU doesn’t have that problem. But not all its judiciaries are equal either.

Yoga guru

One of the men on the EU list on Friday morning was Gregorian Bivolaru.

The Romanian yoga guru was sentenced in his native country on charges including rape and tax fraud. But Sweden gave him asylum on grounds he couldn’t get a fair tiail and risked religious persecution.

Sweden made him a refugee in 2006. Romania joined the EU in 2007 and sentenced him, in absentia, in 2013.

The EU project poses the question of what a Swedish Fast unit would do if an alert on Bivolaru, now 63, comes in.

Sweden grants asylum to citizen from EU candidate Romania

Sweden has granted political asylum to a controversial yoga teacher from EU candidate state Romania, with the Romanian leader referring to the case as an example of shortcomings in the country's legal system less than a year before accession is scheduled.

Orban's sovereignty bill seen as fresh attack on rule of law

Hungary's new sovereignty law has been criticised by the opposition as 'another dark milestone' for the country's democratic values and the rule of law — and it could bring yet another clash between Budapest and Brussels.

Analysis

How Wilders' Dutch extremism goes way beyond Islamophobia

Without losing sight of his pervasive Islamophobia, it is essential to note Geert Wilders' far-right extremism extends to other issues that could drastically alter the nature of Dutch politics — and end its often constructive role in advancing EU policies.

Latest News

  1. Member states stall on EU ban on forced-labour products
  2. EU calls for increased fuel supplies into Gaza
  3. People-smuggling profits at historic high, EU concedes
  4. EU bets big on fossil hydrogen and carbon storage
  5. How centre-right conservatives capitulate to the far-right
  6. My experience trying to negotiate with Uber
  7. Key battlegrounds in EU's new media legislation
  8. EU 'shocked' by Israel's war-time settler surge

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  2. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  4. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  5. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  2. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  4. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  5. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  6. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us