From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 16, 2024
Trial begins for French jihadi with ties to Charlie Hebdo attackers
PARIS, France — A French jihadist, who was close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, is on trial in Paris today.
Peter Cherif, also known as Abou Hamza, was arrested in Djibouti in 2018 after years of allegedly fighting in the ranks of al-Qaeda in the Middle East.
He is being tried for terrorism-related offenses allegedly committed between 2011 and 2018, and the 2011 kidnapping of three French aid workers in Yemen.
In 2015, Cherif was placed on a US blacklist as a member of the Yemen-based terror group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Cherif, 42, was linked to a Paris jihadist cell and was named in the inquiry into the January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, due to his regular contact with the perpetrators, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi.
Twelve people were killed in the massacre that sent shock waves across France.
Peter Cherif has not been formally charged over the attack but his potential involvement is expected to be at the center of the trial.
Investigating judges believe that he “facilitated the integration into AQAP of one of the Kouachi brothers, most probably Cherif” and that he had knowledge of the plan to carry out an attack in France.
According to several witnesses, AQAP advised foreign fighters in Yemen to return to their countries of origin to stage attacks.
Peter Cherif is also believed to have maintained contact with Cherif Kouachi on his return to France.
He has denied having knowledge of the planned attack.
In 2020, he was called as a witness during a trial over the 2015 attacks and claimed to have had “nothing to do” with the massacre.
According to Sefen Guez Guez, one of his lawyers, Cherif “knows that the Charlie Hebdo trial weighs heavily in the balance but he will come forward with a sincere statement.”
Cherif, who converted to Islam in 2003, faces life in prison if convicted.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
