Brother of 2012 Toulouse Killer Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
- 6 years ago
Brother of 2012 Toulouse Killer Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison
Asked about comments made after the attacks in which he had expressed pride in his brother’s actions, Mr. Merah told the court
that he now condemned them and felt "a mix of sadness, shame and regret." Mr. Merah was tried over five weeks in a special court for terrorism crimes before a panel of judges rather than a jury.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom in central Paris after the verdict, Éric Dupond-Moretti, Mr. Merah’s lawyer, said
that the judges had "resisted pressure from public opinion" and called his client a "fake culprit who was fabricated to satisfy their thirst for justice." Two of Mr. Merah’s siblings, both at odds with the rest of the Merah family, described a toxic family environment where hatred of Jews, Americans and France was commonplace.
Mr. Merah’s mother, upon learning about the shootings, is reported to have said: "My son brought France to its knees." Another defendant in the
case, Fettah Malki, was also found guilty of taking part in a criminal terrorist conspiracy on Thursday and sentenced to a 14-year prison term.
"It’s absolute evil." But the court proceedings were also tense, peppered by clashes between the plaintiffs and the defense team, which repeatedly argued
that there was no evidence that Mr. Merah knew about his brother’s plans and that the court should not convict him for his brother’s crimes.
2, 2017
PARIS — In a highly awaited verdict, the brother of the man who killed seven people in southwestern France in 2012 was
found guilty on Thursday of taking part in a criminal terrorist conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Latifa Ibn Ziaten, the mother of one of the paratroopers killed by Mr. Merah, told reporters
that she felt the court had not gone "all the way." "I think that we are being too naïve and that we have to open our eyes," she said, crying.
Asked about comments made after the attacks in which he had expressed pride in his brother’s actions, Mr. Merah told the court
that he now condemned them and felt "a mix of sadness, shame and regret." Mr. Merah was tried over five weeks in a special court for terrorism crimes before a panel of judges rather than a jury.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom in central Paris after the verdict, Éric Dupond-Moretti, Mr. Merah’s lawyer, said
that the judges had "resisted pressure from public opinion" and called his client a "fake culprit who was fabricated to satisfy their thirst for justice." Two of Mr. Merah’s siblings, both at odds with the rest of the Merah family, described a toxic family environment where hatred of Jews, Americans and France was commonplace.
Mr. Merah’s mother, upon learning about the shootings, is reported to have said: "My son brought France to its knees." Another defendant in the
case, Fettah Malki, was also found guilty of taking part in a criminal terrorist conspiracy on Thursday and sentenced to a 14-year prison term.
"It’s absolute evil." But the court proceedings were also tense, peppered by clashes between the plaintiffs and the defense team, which repeatedly argued
that there was no evidence that Mr. Merah knew about his brother’s plans and that the court should not convict him for his brother’s crimes.
2, 2017
PARIS — In a highly awaited verdict, the brother of the man who killed seven people in southwestern France in 2012 was
found guilty on Thursday of taking part in a criminal terrorist conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Latifa Ibn Ziaten, the mother of one of the paratroopers killed by Mr. Merah, told reporters
that she felt the court had not gone "all the way." "I think that we are being too naïve and that we have to open our eyes," she said, crying.