French jihadist suspected of links to Charlie Hebdo attack goes on trial

A police officer stands guard near a drawing depecting eleven of the victims ahead of a ceremony marking the eigth anniversary of the jihadist attack of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people in Paris, on January 7, 2023. AFP - GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT

French jihadist Peter Cherif, who was close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at headquarters of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, went on trial on Monday in Paris, accused of criminal association with a terrorist enterprise.

Peter Cherif, 42, faces terrorism-related offences allegedly committed between 2011 and 2018, when he was in Yemen within the ranks of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) – the al-Qaeda affiliate that claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo massacre.