Four jailed for plotting attack on Champs Elysees
A French court has sentenced four men between five and 15 years in jail for plotting an attack on Paris’s emblematic Champs Elysees avenue.
A fifth walked free as he had already served his term in pre-trial custody.
The five defendants were aged 17 to 39 when they were arrested in 2019 for allegedly planning to attack policemen and possibly civilians on the avenue not far from the presidential palace.
All except one were found guilty of “terrorist conspiracy” on Thursday after a trial held behind closed doors. The oldest in the group was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while a second was handed 12 years.
A third, who was a minor at the time of his arrest but considered to be the leader of the group, was also given a 12-year jail term.
He had been arrested in Germany in 2017 when he was just 15 for trying to join Daesh in war-torn Syria.
Investigators said he had planned to attack a police patrol at the entrance to the Champs Elysees and “commit a massacre.”
A fourth, a Chechen who was also a minor at the time, was handed a five-year term for not speaking up about the plan.
A fifth was sentenced to five years in prison, of which 18 months was suspended, over financing the plot, but walked free as he had already served that time in pre-trial custody.
The five defendants were aged 17 to 39 when they were arrested in 2019 for allegedly planning to attack policemen and possibly civilians on the avenue not far from the presidential palace.
All except one were found guilty of “terrorist conspiracy” on Thursday after a trial held behind closed doors. The oldest in the group was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while a second was handed 12 years.
A third, who was a minor at the time of his arrest but considered to be the leader of the group, was also given a 12-year jail term.
He had been arrested in Germany in 2017 when he was just 15 for trying to join Daesh in war-torn Syria.
Investigators said he had planned to attack a police patrol at the entrance to the Champs Elysees and “commit a massacre.”
A fourth, a Chechen who was also a minor at the time, was handed a five-year term for not speaking up about the plan.
A fifth was sentenced to five years in prison, of which 18 months was suspended, over financing the plot, but walked free as he had already served that time in pre-trial custody.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.