Imam faces prosecution after police raid Winterthur mosque

From the Swiss edition of The Local

Prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings against four people associated with a mosque in the city of Winterthur for public incitement to crime and violence.

Police descended on the An’Nur mosque on Wednesday morning to conduct a search of the building and three other houses in the area after receiving evidence against four people, Zurich’s public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The investigation relates to a sermon given by the mosque’s Ethiopian imam on October 21st in which he “called for the murder of Muslims who refuse to participate in communal prayer”, said the statement. He also called for those present at the sermon to denounce such people.

The imam and three others are now facing criminal proceedings. A further four men aged 23 to 25 were arrested during the raid for immigration-related offences, said Zurich cantonal police.