2023-04-20 23:34:20
Sentences of 5 to 15 years for five men, including two minors, for a planned attack near the Élysée Palace in 2019. The accused, aged 17 to 39 when arrested between April and July 2019, were recognized , except one, guilty of belonging to a terrorist criminal association, at the end of the trial started on April 3.
The only defendant to appear free under judicial supervision, Anis Mesroua, was only found guilty of financing a terrorist enterprise and sentenced to 5 years in prison, including 18 months suspended. Because of the pre-trial detention already carried out, he was able to come out free from the courthouse.
The oldest of the group, Alexandre Benon, was sentenced to 15 years of criminal imprisonment with a two-thirds security period as well as a 5-year socio-judicial follow-up obligation at the end of his sentence. . Karim Berdjeghloul, close to Alexandre Benon, was sentenced to 12 years of criminal imprisonment accompanied by a two-thirds security period as well as a 5-year socio-judicial follow-up obligation at the end of his sentence. .
The group infiltrated by two intelligence agents
A third man, Farid X. (Identity modified in accordance with the law on the protection of minors), a minor but considered to be the “emir” of the group, was also sentenced to 12 years of criminal imprisonment, without a security period but with an obligation of socio-judicial follow-up of 5 years at the end of his sentence. He had already been arrested in Germany in February 2017, at the age of 15, for having tried to reach Syria and fight in the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) group.
According to the investigators, Farid X. planned in particular to attack the Chinese embassy in Paris or to attack a church on a Saturday or a Sunday “when there were a lot of people”. But his main objective would have been to attack a police patrol at the entrance to the Champs-Élysées and to “commit a massacre”.
The second minor at the time of the events, Adam X. (identity changed), of Chechen origin, close to Farid X., was sentenced to 5 years in prison for not having denounced the planned attack of which he was aware.
The five men had been in the sights of the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) since February 1, 2019 because of their adherence to radical Islamist theses and “armed jihad”. According to the prosecution, they were considering “an attack of a terrorist nature targeting French security forces”.
Due to its supposed dangerousness, the group had been infiltrated by two agents of internal intelligence. Wiretaps and remarks made during preparatory meetings had brought to light, according to the prosecution, “a plan of violent action targeting the surroundings of the Élysée Palace, the police officers on duty and, possibly, civilians on the Champs-Elysees avenue “.
#years #prison #authors #attack #project #Élysée