A Parisian court handed down sentences to six men and one woman, ranging from six months to four years behind bars, nearly six years following the terrorist attack in southern France that claimed the lives of four individuals.
On Friday, the French judiciary pronounced these sentences in connection with the assault for which ISIS asserted responsibility, a harrowing event that unfolded in 2018 in the southwest of France.
The attack resulted in the deaths of four individuals, while the assailant, a radicalized young man, was fatally shot by police.
On the morning of March 23, 2018, Redouane Lakdim, a 25-year-old with a history of drug dealing and radicalization, carried out a heinous attack in southwestern France. He first targeted a gathering place for gay individuals, fatally shooting one and injuring another.
Lakdim then proceeded to a supermarket in Trebes, where he killed a 50-year-old butcher and another customer. Brandishing a pistol, Lakdim shouted "Allahu Akbar!" and claimed allegiance to ISIS.
He took an employee hostage, demanding contact with the gendarmerie forces and referencing French military actions in Syria. Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, aged 44, heroically offered himself as a substitute hostage.
Despite being seriously injured, Beltrame succumbed to his wounds in the hospital. Lakdim was subsequently killed in the confrontation.
The courtroom spotlight fell particularly on Marine Pequeño, the extremist girlfriend of the assailant. She received a five-year prison term, with two years suspended, effectively sparing her immediate return to incarceration.
However, this sentence fell significantly short of the eleven years sought by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office.
Samir Manna, aged 28, faced severe scrutiny as well, as the prosecution pushed for a ten-year sentence, branding him as the accomplice who facilitated the purchase of the knife used in the fatal attack on Beltrame.
Surprisingly, Manna was sentenced to a mere three years behind bars. He is set to walk free after spending five and a half years in pretrial detention. Throughout the proceedings, Manna vehemently denied any knowledge of the extremist intentions of his friend, emphasizing his lack of involvement in radical activities.
The court delivered its harshest judgment against the girlfriend of the attacker, aged 18, sentencing her to eighteen years in prison. This severe sentence was attributed to her complicity in concealing the assailant's plans from authorities.
However, reports from Le Parisien suggest that authorities believe the young woman has renounced extremist beliefs.
Meanwhile, other defendants faced convictions for their inadvertent support of the attacker, such as accompanying him to procure weapons, unaware of his true intentions
