Even before its publication, the report commissioned in spring 2024 on the Muslim Brotherhood's influence in France, sparked controversy. The document was presented on Wednesday, May 21, at a meeting of the national defense and security council held at the Elysée around midday. Although it was supposed to be made public immediately afterward, its publication was postponed until "the end of the week" in a less redacted version than the one currently circulating, in line with President Emmanuel Macron's wishes. Furthermore, suggesting disagreements at the highest level, the defense council did not produce any statements or measures based on the document. "Given the importance of the issue and the seriousness of the findings, the president has asked the government to put forward new proposals, which will be reviewed at another defense council meeting at the start of June," the Elysée said.

The provisional 75-page report, which Le Monde had access to, was carefully redacted to remove most names of those interviewed for security reasons, but also to protect foreign intelligence services that contributed to it. Even the names of its two authors – a diplomat and former ambassador to Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Libya and Tunisia, and a prefect – were removed, despite having already been made public by the Interior Ministry when the report was commissioned.

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