Convicted terrorist Nizar Trabelsi returns to Belgium after years of legal battles
Convicted terrorist Nizar Trabelsi is returning to Belgium, VRT NWS writes on Friday. This marks the end of years of legal disputes in Belgium and the US, where he was held. It is not yet clear whether the Tunisian national will be permitted to remain in the country.
Nizar Trabelsi was sentenced to ten years in prison in Belgium in 2004 for planning an attack on the Kleine-Brogel military base, which is home to US military personnel and is said to store US nuclear warheads. The former Tunisian footballer was also found guilty of illegally possessing weapons and belonging to the jihadist terror group al-Qaida.
US authorities had also requested his extradition. After Trabelsi had served his sentence, Belgium acceded to that request in 2013. This was a controversial decision as Belgian law states that no one should be convicted twice for the same crime. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) later forced Belgium to pay Trabelsi 90,000 euros in compensation.
Trabelsi was held in pretrial detention in the US for almost 10 years. In July 2023, he was finally acquitted by a federal court in Washington. However, the American government did not release the Tunisian, as he was residing illegally on US soil. He was sent to an illegal immigrant centre in Farmville, Virginia, where his health further deteriorated.
Legal battles
In 2022, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled that Belgium had to request Trabelsi's repatriation. In January of this year, the court ruled that the Belgian state must complete the necessary formalities to allow Trabelsi to return to Belgium, with penalty payments of up to 300,000 euros. Last month, the court imposed an additional penalty of 15,000 euros per day of delay, with no time or monetary limit.
This has seemingly prompted Belgium to take action. According to VRT NWS, the convicted terrorist is expected to arrive on Friday. However, it is unclear whether Trabelsi will be allowed to stay in the country, as he is not a Belgian national and does not have a valid residence permit. He could be granted a humanitarian visa or extradited to Tunisia.
Nizar Trabelsi in 2004. © BELGA PHOTO ETIENNE ANSOTTE
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