France detains Nice footballer Atal over post in support of Gaza

French police have detained Algerian international Youcef Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 football side Nice, over suspected "justification of terrorism" after he published a social media post on the Israel-Hamas war.

Nice's Algerian defender Youcef Atal is under investigation for "apology for terrorism", suspected of having relayed controversial comments on social networks linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. © UWE KRAFT / AFP

Last month the 27-year-old defender was banned for seven matches after reposting an allegedly anti-Jewish message on social media.

He quickly deleted the message and issued an apology.

The public prosecutor in Nice opened a probe following a request from the local prefect and right-wing mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi.

Atal was arrested on Friday. It means he can now be questioned by police in detention and could be charged, or released with no further immediate action taken, once the detention period expires.

Atal is due to appear in court on 18 December on charges of inciting religious hatred.

He has already been suspended by his club "until further notice".

OGC Nice said that despite the player's apology, it decided to "take immediate" action, "prior" to any sanctions that might be taken by sporting or judicial bodies, "given the nature of the publication shared and its seriousness".

Probe underway

In mid-October, the Nice public prosecutor announced the opening of an investigation into "justification of terrorism".

Atal has been criticised for sharing a video from a Palestinian preacher on Instagram, purportedly calling for violence against Jewish people.

AFP was unable to independently verify its content.

France, which has the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe, increased security after Hamas launched massive attacks on Israel on 7 October.

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Israeli officials say the attacks killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 240 people were taken hostage.

Vowing to destroy Hamas – deemed a terrorist organisation by the EU and the US – Israel immediately launched a retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

According to Hamas, which governs Gaza, as many as 15,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces. Many are children.

(-with AFP)