Ex-imam in Italy acquitted of terror links agrees to extradition

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A lawyer says a former imam in northern Italy has agreed to be extradited to Morocco to defend himself against terrorism charges in his native country. Luca Bauccio said Wednesday that his client Abdelmajid Zergout would not fight Morocco's extradition request and would prove his innocence as he already did in Italian courts. Zergout was acquitted of terrorism charges in a trial in Italy last year. Together with three more suspects, he was cleared of charges of raising money and recruiting for a Moroccan extremist organization, the Islamic Combatant Group. The group is blamed for the 2003 bombings in Casablanca. Last week he was arrested in the northern town of Varese, where he was based, following the extradition request.