Escape of the alleged jihadist: “no element allows us to say that he is at large in Saint-Martin”

On Thursday, the news according to which Rachid Rafaa, the alleged jihadist is on the run in the Northern islands, precisely in Saint-Martin was being posted on social networks and on some media outlets. However, this needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

“Indeed, we have been warned like everyone else that Rachid Far Rafaa was at large. His description has been given especially to the border police at the maritime terminal and the airport on the French side. We have also alerted the Sint Maarten police so that they can be vigilant", explained Captain Emmanuel Maignan. The Dutch police urges the population to contact them if someone thinks they have spotted him.

"But no concrete element allows us to say that he is on the run on our island. The only thing we know is that he is no longer at his home in Martinique," he said.

Rachid Faraa has been placed under house arrest in the commune of Morne Rouge since May 2014. Since Wednesday July 27, he has ceased to be compliant with the measures of this decision and is on the run.

He was born in Morocco in 1976.  The authorities of his country suspect that "he is connected with Al Qaeda leaders in Islamic Maghreb (Aqim)", reported the gendarmerie. According to the facts known by the investigators, Rachid Rafaa is said to be a technician and is by no means someone who is able to commit a suicide attack. “He is said to have assisted Aqim diffuse its messages via Internet. This suspicion is shared by the French anti-terrorist services, which consider that this man is known for his affiliation with the international jihadist movement ".