Spy plot suspected as Serbia arrests 11 over pig heads at mosques in France

A general view of entrance Mosque Islah, in Seine-Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris where pigs’ head were discovered. (Photo/AFP)

Serbian police have arrested 11 people over hate-motivated acts in France and Germany, including placing pig heads near mosques, authorities said.

The group of Serbian nationals were allegedly trained by another suspect, "acting under the instructions of a foreign intelligence service,” who is "currently on the run," the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday, without specifying the suspect’s nationality.

"Their objective was also to spread ideas advocating and inciting hatred, discrimination, and violence based on differences," the statement said.

What led to the arrests?

Nine heads of pigs, considered impure in Islam, were found in early September outside mosques in Paris and the surrounding region, sparking outrage and alarm over rising anti-Muslim hatred.

A probe launched by the Paris Prosecutor's office established that the pig heads “had been placed there by foreign nationals who immediately left the country, with the clear intention of causing unrest within the nation.”

"A farmer from Normandy came forward to tell investigators that two people had come to buy a dozen pig heads from him and described their vehicle, which had Serbian number plates," it read.

CCTV footage showed these same individuals had arrived in Paris in the same vehicle during the night of Monday, September 8, to Tuesday, September 9.

The images also showed two men leaving the heads in front of a number of mosques.

Foreign intelligence suspected

At the time, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez had said he could not rule out foreign interference to unsettle France as it faces a fiscal and political crisis.

Three Serbians accused of links to a "foreign power" were arrested after synagogues and a Holocaust memorial were defaced with green paint in May.

Three Serbs have since been charged and jailed in France as part of the investigation.

The group of 11 will be brought before the prosecutor on a range of offences, including racial discrimination and espionage.

The arrests took place in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, and in Velika Plana, a town about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the south, in coordination with the security services.

France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up around 10 percent of the country's population.

In April, a man was stabbed to death while praying at a mosque in southern France, an incident that was captured on video and disseminated on Snapchat.

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Source: TRT