Smaïn Bendjilalin imam in Marseille: drugs found at his home, his son attacked

While the son of the imam of the mosque of Blueberries in Marseille has been thrown out of a window, drugs were found in his father's cellar. Both were released from police custody this Wednesday , the investigation continues.

The imam of the Bleuets mosque, Smaïn Bendjilali, has just made headlines again. He was taken into custody on Tuesday, August 27, with his son, according to BFMTV. Several unknown, hooded individuals physically attacked his son on the night of August 26 to 27. The latter then took refuge in the apartment of a former countryside in the city center of Marseille, before falling from the third floor. He was apparently thrown into the void by his attackers. An investigation was opened for “attempted murder by an organized gang” and the victim was hospitalized.

His father, informed of the attack, went to the police on the evening of August 27. He indicated that cannabis resin was stored in his cellar. According to Europe 1, on site, investigators discovered a kilo of cannabis resin, more than 500 euros in notes, a packaging knife and several SIM cards. An amount of 1,300 euros in cash was also found Upstairs, the imam assured that these were donations from the faithful of his mosque.

Father and son known to the police

After trying to escape from the hospital during the search, the son confessed that the cargo belonged to him. He is also already known for drug trafficking. The possibility of settling scores is therefore being considered. With his father, they were both taken into custody, but the latter was got up on Wednesday, August 28th at the end of the day.

While at this stage, there is no evidence to support the imam's involvement in drug trafficking, questions remain unanswered. “Why did he discover drugs at his home the day after his son was thrown out of a window?”? He knows he is under investigation. Does he want to exonerate himself? ?”, commented a source close to the case to Europe 1. The imam is, in fact, accused by the Ministry of the Interior of holding “a speech inciting discrimination and hatred against women, in particular through sermons legitimizing marital rape or polygamy”. The Bleuets mosque in Marseille, where he has been working for 14 years, is the subject of a closure procedure administered due to a radical practice of Islam, particularly linked to the imam's sermons. The accused has denied the facts and the final decision for the religious establishment is still pending.