The jihadist Peter Cherif was sentenced this Thursday, October 3 in Paris to life imprisonment for his role in Yemen with Chérif Kouachi, one of the attackers of the Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015, and for the kidnapping of three humanitarian aid in 2011.
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When the verdict was announced, Peter Cherif remained impassive. Found guilty of all the charges against him, the French jihadist was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a security period of 22 years, in accordance with the requisitions of the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office. The president of the Paris Special Assize Court, Frédérique Aline, explained that this decision had been taken “ in view of the seriousness of the facts » reproached, and the “ dangerousness » by Peter Cherif.
For three weeks, the jihad veteran, a 42-year-old man, appeared for criminal terrorist conspiracy between 2011 and 2018, the period of his presence in Yemen within Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He was accused of having joined the ranks of this jihadist organization and, in this context, of having participated in the training of his childhood friend Chérif Kouachi in the attack committed on January 7, 2015 at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 people were murdered. The attack was claimed by AQAP.
“ The court retained your role as facilitator, integrator of Chérif Kouachi with Aqpa “, declared the president, specifying that it was ” the only French » within the jihadist organization during Chérif Kouachi’s stay in the summer of 2011 in Yemen. “ You were obviously aware of the mission that had been entrusted to him “, she added, stressing that the two men had maintained links after Chérif Kouachi’s return to France.
The jihadist also appeared for the organized gang sequestration in 2011, for more than five months, of three French nationals, members of the NGO Triangle Generation Humanitarian. “ These are the only facts that you admitted for the first time at the hearing », observed the magistrate.
“ A fixed match »
During the trial, Peter Cherif used his right to silence most of the time, a strategy that was resented by the civil parties. However, he admitted to having been one of the jailers of the three humanitarian workers, having served as a “translator” to interface between the hostages and their Yemeni Al-Qaeda captors. On the other hand, he denied having played a role in the Charlie Hebdo attack.
In their submissions on Wednesday, the two attorneys general painted the portrait of a “ integral jihadist » which was « the cornerstone of preparation » of the Charlie Hebdo attack. The defense lawyers, for their part, denounced “ a fixed match », in pleadings which sometimes caused a certain uneasiness in the courtroom. “ Did this trial answer the questions of the civil parties? », asked Me Nabil El Ouchikli. “ Perhaps one of the reasons for Peter Cherif’s silence or occasional speaking out is that he did not have these answers. “, he said.
His colleague, Me Sefen Guez Guez, said after the verdict of his “ disappointment “, believing that we were ” in the almost exclusive use for extremely serious facts of deductions made from silence, emptiness, absence “. He indicated that he would study with his client the opportunity to appeal next week. “ We are not satisfied with life imprisonment, but the fact is that Peter Cherif’s jihadist commitment is quite exceptional. », For his part declared Me Richard Malka, lawyer for Charlie Hebdo. According to him, his commitment “ fanatic » did not « denied, not even at the hearing: he explained nothing, we could not understand, he gave no hope “. “ What this sanctions is 20 years of mistakes, preferably, from death to love, from violence to peace », Estimated the council.