Fourteen suspected accomplices of the jihadist gunmen who attacked the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket have appeared in a Paris court, five years after the three days of terror that rocked France.
The killings, which began on January 7, 2015, sparked a series of attacks on French soil, including by “lone wolves” said to be inspired by the Islamic State group, that have since claimed more than 250 lives.
Hearings began under heavy security as 11 of the suspects faced the court on charges of conspiracy in a terrorist act or association with a terror group.
Three others, including the wife of one of the gunmen, are being tried in absentia because they fled to Islamic State-held territory in Syria days before the attacks.
Survivors and family members of victims attended the trial’s opening, seated opposite the bench of the accused, visibly emotional and wearing face masks because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Charlie Hebdo, whose gleeful mocking of social taboos has made it a beacon of free speech for many, marked the trial’s opening by republishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed that had angered Muslims around the world.
“That’s the essence of the Charlie Hebdo spirit: It’s refusing to give up our freedoms, our laughter, and even our blasphemy,” the paper’s lawyer, Richard Malka, said before entering the courtroom.
The publication of the cartoons earned the paper criticism abroad, notably in Turkey and Pakistan.
Read the article in The Australian (AFP).