A new major Islamist attack trial opens this Thursday before the special assize court in Paris. That of the terrorist attack on the 2018 Christmas market in Strasbourg, which left five people dead. Four men suspected of having provided assistance to the assailant shot dead by the police are on trial until April 4.
On December 11, 2018, shortly before 8 p.m., Chérif Chekatt, a 29-year-old repeat offender, sentenced to around twenty convictions in France, on S file for radicalization, entered, armed with a 19th century revolver and a knife, in the historic center of the Alsatian capital, where the traditional and famous end-of-year meeting was held.
The courthouse on the Île de la Cité, in the heart of Paris, where the trial for the Carcassonne and Trèbes attacks is being held. | PHILIPPE MIRKOVIC / WEST-FRANCE See in full screen The courthouse on the Île de la Cité, in the heart of Paris, where the trial for the Carcassonne and Trèbes attacks is being held. | PHILIPPE MIRKOVIC / WEST-FRANCE
Five dead, eleven injured
Wandering through the streets, he opened fire at random on passers-by, shouting “Allah Akbar”. Killing, in ten minutes, a 36-year-old Strasbourg musician of Polish origin, a 29-year-old Italian journalist, a 45-year-old Thai tourist, a 61-year-old retiree and a 45-year-old Alsatian mechanic of Afghan origin.
Eleven other people were injured before the jihadist, hit by gunfire from soldiers from Operation Sentinel, managed to get into a taxi. Instructing the driver, Mostafa Salhane, to take him to the Neudorf district. The driver, seeing him injured, then managed to convince him to stop and treat him. And takes advantage of a moment of inattention to leave and goes to the police station.
The man helped identify the assailant, whose home had been the subject of a police search that morning as part of an investigation into robbery and attempted homicide. After 48 hours of tracking, Chérif Chekatt was spotted in the Neudorf district and killed in an exchange of fire with the police.
The attack was claimed the next day by the Islamic State (IS) organization. A claim “opportunistic”, according to investigators, whose investigations “did not establish a link” between the jihadist and IS. However, during a search of his home, they found a USB key on which he had filmed himself pledging allegiance to Daesh.
Four men are being tried, starting this Thursday, February 29, by the special assize court, for their involvement in the terrorist attack at the Christmas market, which left five people dead in 2018 (archive photo). | AFP See in full screen Four men are being tried, starting this Thursday, February 29, by the special assize court, for their involvement in the terrorist attack at the Christmas market, which left five people dead in 2018 (photo by archives). | AFP
A single terrorist qualification
The investigation quickly led to the indictment of five men suspected of having allowed the supply of weapons to Chérif Chekatt. All were referred to court, but a severance was ordered after a medical assessment for one of them, aged 84. He could be tried, alone, later.
The terrorist qualification was retained for only one of the accused: Audrey Mondjehi, 42 years old, close to Chekatt, who appears detained in particular for complicity in assassinations and attempted terrorist assassinations. He faces life imprisonment.
According to the investigating judges, he played “an indispensable role in the supply of a weapon”, while he “could not ignore, or even share, all or part of the radical convictions of Chérif Chekatt”. Which he disputes. “Audrey Mondjehi must not be an outlet for the victims’ pain and must not be condemned because Chérif Chekatt is not there, underlines his lawyer, Me Michaël Wacquez. He should not be the ideal culprit when he did not instigate anything in a terrorist context.”
Three men tried for criminal conspiracy
The three others, aged 34, 37 and 39, free under judicial supervision, are on trial for criminal conspiracy. They face ten years of imprisonment.
The civil parties “are satisfied that this trial is finally being held”, according to Me Claude Lienhard, lawyer for several dozen people: “The instruction was perceived to be very long. There is a fear that this will be a low-cost trial compared to other attacks trials because many have the impression of having been forgotten.”
The major trial courtroom at the historic Paris courthouse, where the trial of Rédoine Faïd is taking place until October 20. | PHILIPPE MIRKOVIC / OUEST-FRANCE See in full screen The major trial courtroom at the historic Paris courthouse, where the trial of Rédoine Faïd is taking place until October 20. | PHILIPPE MIRKOVIC / WEST-FRANCE
The trial scheduled until April 4
The first days of the trial will be devoted to hearings from investigators and experts. The testimonies of the civil parties will begin Friday March 8 and will continue until March 13. The special assize court, composed solely of professional magistrates, will then examine the background and personality of each of the accused until March 18. The interrogations on the merits are scheduled for March 20 to 25.
The pleadings of the civil parties are scheduled for Thursday March 28 and Friday March 29. The indictment of the national anti-terrorism prosecution should take place on April 2. The defense pleadings will follow. The deliberation is expected on Thursday April 4.
2024-02-29 08:06:10
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