After “ZazouYoucef” in Brest, another Algerian influencer placed in detention: his trial postponed to March 5

The Algerian influencer “Imad Tintin” was placed in pre-trial detention by the Grenoble court on Monday January 6 and his trial postponed until March 5, at a time when several other Algerians or Franco-Algerians are in the sights of the authorities for hateful videos on the internet.

Aged 31, he was tried in immediate appearance on Monday. He requested and obtained time to prepare his defense but was placed under a committal warrant pending his new trial, with the president of the court citing risks of pressure on witnesses or fleeing abroad.

The person concerned, who is under obligation to leave the territory (OQTF) and faces seven years of imprisonment for provocation to acts of terrorism, denied during the hearing any terrorist aim and questioned the editing and translation of the videos, one of which, since removed, called for “burning alive, killing and raping on French soil”.

His lawyer Alexandre Rouvier, who had pleaded for a continuation under judicial supervision, requested additional information, believing that his client was “left to waste” while only “the scum of the case” is known at this stage.

Other reports

Other similar files have been in the sights of the authorities for several days.

“Several influencers calling for hatred or violence in videos published on TikTok have been reported to the competent authorities by the Rhône prefecture in Lyon,” wrote, on X, the prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region Fabienne Buccio . According to its services, these are influencers supposed to reside in or around Lyon who have published videos “more or less recently” on the Sofia Benlemmane, Abdesslam “Bazooka” and Laksas06 accounts.

The first, followed by hundreds of thousands of people, is notably criticized for a live on TikTok in which she profusely insults another woman in Arabic, saying “fuck your mother, you and your France”.

“Abdesslam Bazooka” for his part attacks opponents of the Algerian government in an Arabic video published on TikTok on December 10, whom he describes as “traitors” and threatens to “cut their throats”.

Laksas06 for his part took up on December 11 an audio from another Franco-Algerian in which he presents the members of the Algerian diaspora in France as “sleeping soldiers” ready to become “martyrs” to defend Algeria.

Three arrests

These reports follow three arrests of Algerian influencers in recent days, including that of Imad Tintin on Friday in Échirolles, near Grenoble.

Friday morning, Youcef A., a 25-year-old man called “Zazou Youssef” on TikTok, was arrested in Brest for a video in which he called for attacks in France and violence in Algeria. Placed in pre-trial detention, he will be tried on February 24 for advocating terrorism and faces seven years in prison.

Sunday evening, an Algerian influencer nicknamed Doualemn was arrested in Montpellier after a TikTok video in which he calls for “killing” and “making suffer” a protester opposed to the Algiers government.

The Montpellier prosecutor indicated on Monday that he would only communicate “when the direction of the case has been decided”.