FRENCH police on Friday detained Algerian international Youcef Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 football side Nice, in a probe into suspected “justification of terrorism” after he published a social media pro-palestine post on the Israel-Hamas war, prosecutors said.
Last month the 27-year-old defender was banned for seven matches over the post, which he quickly deleted and subsequently issued an apology.
The public prosecutor in Nice opened a probe following a request from the local prefect and mayor of Nice.
Prosecutors later said that Atal will face trial for incitement to religious hatred on December 18 at the Nice criminal court.
Prosecutors later said that Atal will face trial for incitement to religious hatred on December 18 at the Nice criminal court.
France has large Jewish and Muslim populations.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 15,000 people, thousands of them children.
