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Winterthur mosque presses charges against duo who reported imam for inciting murder

The Local
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Winterthur mosque presses charges against duo who reported imam for inciting murder
Winterthur. Photo: Simon Aughton

The association that runs the An’Nour mosque in Winterthur has lodged a complaint with police against two members of the congregation thought to have reported their imam for inciting murder – a day after ten people were arrested for allegedly beating up the duo in revenge.

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On Tuesday morning police in the canton of Zurich arrested ten suspects in a raid on a dozen houses in Winterthur. 
 
One was later released, but eight adults and one juvenile remain in custody, accused of having beaten up and threatened two individuals at the mosque last November.  
 
The pair are thought to have tipped off a journalist about a controversial sermon given by the mosque’s imam in which he called for the congregation to kill Muslims who do not participate in common prayer.
 
The reporting of the sermon in early November led to the arrest of the imam, who is now facing criminal proceedings for inciting crime and violence.
 
Now, the association that runs the mosque wants to press charges against the pair for allegedly secretly filming the controversial sermon, according to 20 Minutes
 
The public prosecutor confirmed the news to the paper on Wednesday.
 
Zurich lawyer Andreas Meili told the paper that theoretically a prison sentence is possible, if it is found that the pair’s secret filming violated rights to privacy.
 
The news is the latest episode in a long-running controversy surrounding the An'Nour mosque, thought to be linked to the radicalization of young people in the city -- an accusation the mosque denies. 
 
Speaking to 20 Minuten, the journalist who broke the story about the imam's sermon said he had been threatened by members of the mosque.
 
He called for police protection for the two informants and other witnesses who report alleged criminal behaviour at the mosque.

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