Five 'terrorists' to be stripped of French citizenship
Five "terrorists" will be stripped of their French nationality, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced Tuesday. An official told news agency AFP that the comments are in reference to five citizens who have been sentenced for their role in the 2003 bombings in Casablanca which killed 45 people.
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"I have asked the prime minister to strip five terrorists of their nationality," Cazeneuve told the National Assembly.
French law only allows nationality to be stripped from a citizen who holds a second passport and such cases are rare.
The interior minister said only one French person had been stripped of their citizenship since 2007 - a jihadist with joint Moroccan citizenship who had his passport taken away in September.
Cazeneuve underlined "the government's absolute determination in the fight against terrorism".
The May 2003 suicide bombings in Casablanca were the deadliest ever in Morocco. There were 45 killed including 12 suicide bombers, and dozens more were wounded.
France has stepped up the battle against jihadists since a series of attacks in January, including at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, left 17 people dead.
Several planned attacks have since been foiled, including one by a gunman on a train who was overpowered by passengers in August.
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