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PARIS (Reuters) – France is preparing to expel 231 foreigners on a government watch list on suspicion of extremist religious beliefs, a police union source said on Sunday, two days after a Russian-born Islamist beheaded a teacher.
The French Ministry of the Interior, responsible for the expulsion of foreigners, was not available to confirm the information, which had initially been reported by Europe 1.
France defines extremists as “people who, immersed in a radicalization process, are likely to wish to go abroad to join terrorist groups or participate in terrorist activities.”
The centrist government of President Emmanuel Macron has been under pressure from far-right and conservative parties to take a tougher stance on non-nationals seen as posing a security threat.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked local prefects to order the expulsions at a meeting on Sunday afternoon, according to the source and Europe 1.
Of the total suspects, 180 people are currently in prison and 51 were due to be arrested in the next few hours, the police union source said.
Darmanin also asked his ministry services to take a closer look at applications from people who want to obtain refugee status in France, the source said.
The 18-year-old suspected Islamist who beheaded a history teacher outside his school on Friday was born in Russia of Chechen origin and had refugee status.
Macron held a Defense Council meeting with senior cabinet ministers on Sunday.
(Reporting by Caroline Pallier and Sybille de La Hamaide; Edited by Alexandra Hudson)
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