Gender: Male;

Nationality: Moroccan, Belgian (in October 2018 stripped of his Belgian citizenship);

General Info:
Fouad Belkacem, with dual Belgian and Moroccan citizenship, was the spokesman of the organisation and was inspired by UK-based Islamist Anjem Choudary. Also known by the alias “Abu Imran”, he repeatedly made controversial comments, and stated he had been praying for Osama bin Laden.

When Belkacem was invited to the 2012 Global Shariah Conference, organised by the radical Islamic movement Sharia4Holland, the Party for Freedom asked ministers Ivo Opstelten and Gerd Leers to treat Belkacem as persona non grata.

Belkacem has a criminal record for burglary and resisting arrest and was sentenced in 2002, 2004 and 2007. In 2012, he was re-sentenced in Antwerp to two years’ imprisonment for incitement of hatred towards non-Muslims. Morocco was seeking his extradition in connection with the drug trade.

Belkacem was arrested on the morning of 7 June 2012, and he was sentenced in Morocco for possession of illegal drugs.

On 11 February 2015, Belkacem was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in Belgium. In October 2018, he was stripped of his Belgian citizenship.