The anti-terrorism investigating judges have completed their investigations into the assassination of Samuel Paty on October 6, confirms Friday, October 14 franceinfo from a judicial source. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) therefore has until November 6 to make its final indictment.
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In this case, 14 people are indicted, including 10 for “complicity in terrorist assassination”, three for “criminal terrorist association” and one for “slanderous denunciation”, learned franceinfo from a judicial source. Six of them are in pre-trial detention.
Among those prosecuted for “complicity in terrorist assassination”, include Brahim Chnina, the father of the schoolgirl who had lied by saying that the teacher had asked Muslim students to leave class before showing caricatures of Muhammad published by Charlie Hebdo, and the sulphurous Islamist militant Abdelhakim Sefrioui. Both had recorded and broadcast videos on social networks targeting the professor, fueling the controversy and bringing it to the attention of the terrorist – who murdered Samuel Paty – according to justice. They are in pre-trial detention.
The profile of Priscilla M., also indicted for “complicity in terrorist assassination”, was of particular interest to the investigating judges. According to a source familiar with the matter, this 30-year-old convert to Islam played a decisive role, “a high level investment”, in the passage to the act of the terrorist. She is free, under judicial control.
Five minor college students are also part of these 10 people indicted for “complicity in terrorist assassination”, confirms a judicial source to franceinfo. Suspected of having told the terrorist who Samuel Paty was, they are not in pre-trial detention, like any of the minors prosecuted.
Another minor schoolgirl, the daughter of Brahim Chnina who lied while claiming to have attended the course and who was targeted by an exclusion for indiscipline is for her part indicted for “slanderous denunciation”.
If the national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office wishes to refer as many minors to trial, it must still wonder in what form the latter will take place, with or without a closed session, reminds franceinfo a source close to the file.
One of Abdelhakim Sefrioui’s lawyers, Elise Arfi, also confirms to franceinfo that she filed a request for an arrest warrant on September 28 against Faruq Shami, a Tajik contact of the terrorist whom they consider to be the sponsor of the assassination of Samuel Patty. Faruq Shami is designated as the one who first received the video of the terrorist claiming responsibility but, according to a source familiar with the matter, it is very complicated to designate him as the sponsor. According to our information, the national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office has not yet decided whether it will respond favorably to the request of Abdelhakim Sefrioui’s lawyers.
>>> Assassination of Samuel Paty: schools invited to pay tribute to the professor on Friday or Monday
On October 16, 2020, 47-year-old history and geography professor Samuel Paty was stabbed and then beheaded near his college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines), by Abdoullakh Anzorov, a Russian refugee of Chechen origin, killed shortly afterwards by the police. The 18-year-old man, radicalized, accused him of having shown caricatures of Muhammad in class. In an audio message in Russian, he had claimed his gesture, congratulating himself on having “avenge the prophet”.