French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attackers
sentenced to life in prison
Peter Cherif, a suspected French jihadist who was close to the perpetrators of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre, was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison. Cherif fought for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen from 2011 to 2018, during which time he was suspected of training his Paris childhood friend Cherif Kouachi, who along with his brother Said carried out the January 7, 2015 massacre at the satirical weekly in the French capital.
A French jihadist close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment.
Peter Cherif, 42, had been on trial in Paris since mid-September for "belonging to a criminal terrorist association" while fighting for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen from 2011 to 2018.
During that time he is suspected of training his Paris childhood friend Cherif Kouachi, who along with his brother Said perpetrated the January 7, 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdo's offices in the French capital -- for which AQAP later claimed responsibility.
The trial judge sentenced Cherif to life behind bars, with a minimum of 22-years to be served.
The president of the court said the decision had been taken "in view of the seriousness of the acts" for which Cherif was convicted.
Prosecutors had called him the "architect" of the first in a string of attacks carried out by radical Islamists that hit France in the late 2010s.
The 12 killings at the magazine shocked the world and led to an international outpouring of political and popular support under the motto "Je suis Charlie" ("I am Charlie").
Cherif also was accused of being part of a criminal gang that held three French aid workers hostage for five months in Yemen in 2011.
Calling the accused a "jihadist through-and-through" who was the "cornerstone of planning" for the Charlie Hebdo attack, prosecutors on Wednesday had requested a life sentence.
Cherif declined to answer questions throughout most of the trial.
But he admitted standing guard over the aid workers and serving as an interpreter between them and Yemeni Al-Qaeda members.
Cherif has consistently denied playing any role in the attack on Charlie Hebdo or knowing it would happen.
Prosecutors believe he was in on the plan and remained in contact with Cherif Kouachi once the attacker returned to France.
"I feel like I've taken part in a rigged match," Cherif's defence lawyer Nabil El Ouchikli said on Thursday, pointing out that the defendant was not charged with complicity in the Charlie Hebdo attack.
He argued that prosecutors had resorted to the catch-all charge of terrorist association because "they didn't have the proof" for specific offences.
Cherif himself on Thursday said that he had "nothing to add" after his representatives' closing arguments.
(AFP)
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Spain: Farmer stabbed by Muslim migrants says
‘The police are overwhelmed and we are living in fear’
Nothing will be done, because to act to stop this would be denounced in Brussels as “racist” and “Islamophobic.”
Spanish farmer stabbed by migrants speaks out: ‘The police are overwhelmed, and we are living in fear’
by Thomas Brooke, Remix News, October 8, 2024 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
A Spanish farmer recently attacked at his farm by two Moroccan nationals has slammed the lack of protection and enforcement offered by the authorities in the face of an alarming rise in thefts and violent crime committed by illegal migrants.
In the town of El Ejido in the province of AlmerÃa, a farmer identified as Alejandro was attacked by two men of North African origin last Wednesday night as he defended his farm from a robbery attempt.
The assailants, armed with a machete, attempted to steal from the property while a third accomplice, a young Moroccan woman, helped them flee. The violent incident highlights the growing sense of insecurity in the region, where residents feel abandoned by authorities amid a rise in crimes….
“This is the third time I’ve been robbed, and it’s always the same people. We know who they are, and so do the police, but nothing ever happens. There’s complete impunity,” he told La Gaceta….
“The police are overwhelmed, they don’t have the resources, and we are living in fear. We are defenseless, and it’s getting worse,” Alejandro said. He added that many of the crimes are committed by migrants, who, in his view, turn to theft due to economic desperation.
“If the laws were stricter, no one would dare steal, but the current system allows criminals to act without fear of consequences,” he said….
If they were going to be thieves they could just have well stayed in Morocco.
Prejudice towards Muslims is much higher in the Netherlands than EU average: Report
Half of Dutch Muslims have experienced discrimination at least one point last year, which is more than the average in the European Union (38 percent). This was shown in a report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, which was presented on Thursday.
The European Union (EU) agency, which is based in Vienna, conducts research into racism and discrimination and publishes periodic reports with comparisons between EU countries and with previous periods.
An increase in discrimination against Muslims throughout the whole European Union could be seen in the report “Being Muslim in the EU.” In the report, it is stated that 47 percent of European Muslims have been discriminated against in the last five years. This number was at 39 percent in a similar study in 2016.
So, the 38% average for Europe for last year is a bit anomalous considering the 5 year average is 47%. That is the real story here. Is sympathy growing for Muslims in the population, or is it growing among the EU pollsters?
Muslims in Austria experience the most discrimination in comparison to other European countries, according to the study. Of these, 66 percent reported having experienced verbal abuse or difficulties renting or buying a home in the previous year.
The survey was conducted in 2021 and 2022 among 9,604 Muslims from 13 EU member states, of whom 1,192 came from the Netherlands. The report pointed out that the situation may have changed in the meantime, as the data is from before the start of the war between Hamas and Israel on 7 October 2023.
Reporting by ANP
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