Abidjan Deports Imam Accused of Funding Hizbullah
Cote di”Ivoire authorities deported a Lebanese Imam Abdel Momen Qobaissy due to "security reasons".
The head of the al-Ghadir Cultural Society Ali Badir told the Agence France Presse (AFP) the deportation took place on Thursday once Qobaissy arrived to Abidjan from Beirut.
"He was arrested by police at the airport, his passport was confiscated and then deported back to Beirut," Badir said.
Last may the United States imposed economic sanctions on Qobaissy –45 years, and another Lebanese- Sierra-Leone national, accusing them of supporting Hizbullah.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, Qobaissy received high-level Hizbullah officials in Abidjan to help raise funds for the party in Africa.
The Lebanese community amounts to tens of thousands in Cote d”Ivoire, the largest in Africa.