Islamist terror

Eight prison sentences after beheading of teacher

Following the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, eight people have now been sentenced.

(Bild: AFP/DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP / picturedesk.com)

Eight people have been sentenced in Paris in connection with the Islamist-motivated murder of teacher Samuel Paty. They face between one and sixteen years in prison. The incident took place four years ago in a Paris suburb.

Back then, the 47-year-old history teacher was killed and decapitated by an 18-year-old. The police shot and killed the perpetrator, who had Russian-Chechen roots. Before the crime, there had been incitement against the teacher on the internet because he had shown caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in class on the subject of freedom of expression. This in turn is said to have spurred on the murderer. The crime was classified as an Islamist-motivated act of terrorism and caused international outrage.

Two friends of the perpetrator have now been sentenced to 16 years in prison for their involvement in the terrorist attack. They are said to have been privy to the plans, accompanied the perpetrator to buy weapons and finally drove him to the scene of the crime. Until the end, however, they claimed to have had no idea of the true intentions.

The other convicts include the father of the schoolgirl who is said to have circulated accusations against Paty, as well as an Islamist preacher. They are now facing 13 and 15 years in prison respectively.

Six pupils who were also involved were already sentenced a year ago. The assassin is said to have offered one of them money if he showed him who the teacher was.