Arrest of Ayachi Ahmed Rabah Hammami
According to a judicial source cited by the TAP Agency, Ayachi Ahmed Rabah Hammami was arrested on Tuesday by judicial police officers, after being listed on the register of wanted persons. This arrest comes as a result of the final judgment rendered against him by the Court of Appeal of Tunis in the so-called "plot against state security" case.
The same source specifies that the lawyer will be placed in detention to serve the sentence pronounced against him, in accordance with the law.
Background of the Case
The specialized criminal chamber for terrorism cases at the Court of Appeal of Tunis had handed down several definitive prison sentences against the defendants in this case last Friday. The sentences ranged from 10 to 45 years in prison for the detained defendants, while one defendant was acquitted.
For the defendants who were free, the sentences ranged from 5 to 35 years in prison, with two additional acquittals. Ayachi Ahmed Rabah Hammami, who was tried in a state of freedom, was sentenced to 5 years in prison and 2 years of administrative surveillance, after an initial sentence of 8 years in the first instance.
Regarding the defendants on the run, the Court confirmed the sentences handed down in the first instance (33 years in prison with immediate execution) and increased them to up to 43 years for some of them.
History of the Affair
The case dates back to February 2023, when several political figures, officials, former ministers, lawyers, businessmen, and security personnel were arrested. The charges include the formation of a group to plot against the internal and external security of the state, the formation of a terrorist group, the attack on the form of the state, as well as crimes related to unrest, looting, food insecurity, and the environment.
In April 2025, the 5th specialized criminal chamber for terrorism at the Court of First Instance of Tunis had already handed down sentences ranging from 4 to 66 years in prison in this same case, while removing three defendants from the case after an appeal:
- Riadh Khemaïs Ammar Chaïbi (free)
- Mohamed Kamal Hassouna Amara Jendoubi (on the run)
- Noureddine Hamed Belkacem Ben Ticha (on the run)
