The relief was only short-lived. Thirteen days, precisely. While on September 27, the commission for the expulsion of foreigners issued an unfavorable opinion on the return to Algeria of Sana *, the prefect of the North decided not to take it into account. Georges-François Leclerc issued an expulsion order on Tuesday targeting this young mother, taken against her will to Syria when she was a teenager. According to the senior official, she represents a “serious threat to public order”. The three magistrates of the commission – whose opinion is only advisory – had nevertheless concluded the opposite after analyzing the file. “It’s relentless, really. It’s incomprehensible…” laments his lawyer, Me Marie Dosé, who is preparing to file an appeal before the administrative court.
Certainly, as the prefect writes in his decree, that 20 minutes was able to consult, Sana, now aged 24, is indeed “an illegal foreigner”. The young woman is of Algerian nationality. However, she has never set foot in this country – “not even on vacation”, insists her lawyer – and has no family there. She grew up in Roubaix with her brothers and sister, under the influence of a radicalized mother, whom she describes as abusive. At 13, Sana, like all children born in France and residing in the territory, received a letter telling her that she met all the conditions to obtain French nationality. All you need to do is have your case regularized with the prefecture. “His mother confiscated his mail, telling him that it was out of the question,” his advice continues. Shortly after, the teenager was taken out of school, isolated from the rest of the world, completely veiled.
His family is well known to the intelligence services: 23 members – according to the count of the prefect of the North – joined the Islamic State during the year 2014. His uncle, Fodil Tahar Aouidate, is one of the eleven French people sentenced to died in Iraq in 2019 for slave trafficking and known for his links with Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the coordinator of the November 13 attacks. “His mother was radicalized, she still is in fact. She promised her children a vacation in Algeria to take them all to Syria, a war zone. Sana was only 15 years old, she had no choice in leaving,” insists Me Marie Dosé. A few weeks after her arrival, the teenager was married to a Belgian jihadist with whom she has two daughters, now aged 7 and 5.
“Sana had no choice to leave”
After the fall of Baghouz in March 2019, Sana and her two daughters spent nearly four years in the Al-Roj prison camp. As for her husband, she says she does not know what happened to him. “She contacted me in secret, against the advice of her mother,” continues the lawyer. She didn’t have the choice to leave but she made the choice to return. » In January 2023, the young woman sets sail with her children towards Roissy. In his decree, the prefect recognizes that Sana “was taken” by her family to a war zone, that she “was married” – therefore implying that she did not have free will -, but considers that his “five years within a terrorist organization” constitutes a “serious and persistent threat”. Contacted, the prefecture did not respond to our requests.
No indictment upon his return to France
On her return to France, like all “ghosts”, Sana was placed in police custody, after which she was released. Four days spent in the DGSI premises without any evidence being held against him. “We were in the context of a procedure for criminal association with a view to preparing a terrorist act, I assure you that it does not take much to be indicted,” specifies his lawyer. In the investigation targeting her mother – the latter is still in the Al-Roj camp – the young woman has also become a civil party. However, contrary to the decision of the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, the prefect considers “that to date, there is no convincing evidence proving a condemnation on his part of the acts of terrorism committed by members of his community”.
The senior official recalls that she was the subject of an individual administrative control measure, notably requiring her to report to the police station every day. This was renewed in April before being lifted three months later. In the eyes of Georges-François Leclerc, Sana conceals his radicalism. He maintains in particular that she is considered a “storyteller” by the social workers who follow her. The latter had denied this information during the commission for the expulsion of foreigners. “The allegations of the Prefect of the North in this regard are not corroborated by any document,” the judges scathed.
From now on, Sana is under house arrest, awaiting the hearing which is not expected to take place for several months. However, she can continue to see her two daughters placed in foster families very regularly. The latter are largely absent from this decree. “They will be able to join her if the magistrate authorizes it,” sweeps the prefect. “My client is very affected by this procedure, but she fights for her daughters who are really getting better and better,” insists Me Marie Dosé.
*The first name has been changed