– OLIVIER COREL – THE WHITE EMIR

Olivier  Corel, also known as “The White Emir’ was born in Syria in 1947. He immigrated to France in 1973, for studies of pharmacy which it gave up, and became a French citizen in 1983. Olivier was called formerly Abdulilah when it arrived to France.

In his farm where Olivier  Corel settled since 1990,he raises some pigeons and quails but has also two mares. His daughter, now 14 years old, does not go to school and is educated at the house. Every three months, the school inspectorate controls its level of knowledge at a meeting in town hall.

Olivier  Corel was investigated by French police, in 2007, on suspicion of involvement in a circle of jihadists, based in the Ariege region south of Toulouse, and of encouraging them to fight in Iraq. Several members of the cell were arrested in 2007 in the rural region and were convicted in June 2009 of “association with members of a terrorist organisation.” But Olivier  Corel himself, who earned his nickname “The White Emir” for his fair hair and blonde beard, was not convicted of any offence (see also – Paris 2008 Conviction ).

Olivier  Corel admitted to The Daily Telegraph, in an interview published on Friday 03/23/2012, that he had been visited on at least one occasion by Mohammed Merah’s older brother, Abdelkader Merah. But he was evasive when asked if he knew Mohammed Merah, the Toulouse Shootings perpetrator. He said on Friday that Abdelkader Merah had visited him a few weeks ago to discuss a divorce and Islamist religious law. The White Emir denied being the mastermind of a radical cell or recruiting young French Muslims to fight in Iraq.

A judicial source told the French newspaper Le Parisienne: “It seems very credible that he (Olivier  Corel) had influence over Mohamed Merah. He could be an accomplice – that is someone who gives orders.” French investigators are trying to establish whether Merah was a self-radicalised “lone wolf” or whether he had accomplices and financial backing. 

• 11/2011 -EUROPEAN CULTURAL ISLAMIC CONFLICT 
• 04/2011 -2 FRENCH JIHADISTS ARRESTED IN PAKISTAN 
• 01/2011 -8 FRENCH MEN CHARGED WITH FINANCING TERROR 
  2010 -FORSANE ALIZZA – MOHAMMED ACHAMLANE 
  05/2008 -FARID BENYETTOU CONVICETED IN FRANCE