Arfan Bhatti, the gang member-turned-Islamic extremist, was back in custody this week after being arrested and charged with assault. A court in Oslo ordered over the weekend that he be held for at least four weeks while police continue to investigate the charges.
Bhatti is already facing another six months in jail after being convicted last spring of assaulting his son and daughter when they were eight and six years old, allegedly for failing to read the Koran aloud to his liking. An Oslo court sentenced him to 10 months in prison in March, but four of the months were suspended.
Bhatti was also arrested on charges of family violence in 2012 before he left Norway to join jihadists in the Middle East. He wound up in prison in Pakistan and returned to Norway late last year.
Bhatti, who had a long criminal record before he turned to Islamic extremism, immediately appealed the new custody order. His longtime defense attorney, John Christian Elden, told news bureau NTB that there is no cause for the charges of violence. The court disagreed, ruling there was danger of repeat violence and tampering with evidence.
newsinenglish.no staff
