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Reuters
Reuters
World

How French court ruled in Paris Islamist attacks trial

FILE PHOTO: A man lays a white rose next to a commemorative plaque unveiled by French President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during a gathering in front of the Bataclan concert hall, in Paris, France, November 13, 2016, after a ceremony held for the victims of last year's Paris attacks which targeted the Bataclan concert hall as well as a series of bars and killed 130 people. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A French court announced guilty verdicts on Wednesday for all 20 men tried for the Nov. 13, 2015 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed by Islamist militants.

The following shows how the court ruled for six of the principle defendants:

SALAH ABDESLAM, FRENCH, AGE 32 – GUILTY

*ROLE: Prosecutors argued he was the only surviving member of the Islamic State cell that carried out the attacks.

*CHARGES: Included membership of a terrorist criminal association; murder in relation to a terrorist undertaking; attempted murder in relation to a terrorist undertaking; complicity in hostage taking.

*SENTENCE : Life imprisonment with no provision for eventual release.

MOHAMED ABRINI, BELGIAN, AGE 37 – GUILTY

*ROLE: Abrini acknowledged he was meant to be the 10th member of the commando until he backed off a few days before the attacks, being replaced by Abdeslam.

*CHARGES: Included membership of a terrorist network; complicity in murder related to a terrorist undertaking; complicity in attempted murder and hostage taking.

*SENTENCE : Life imprisonment with no possibility to request parole before 22 years.

OUSSAMA ATAR, BELGIAN, DIED AT AGE 33 – GUILTY

*ROLE: was the most senior European leader of the "Islamic State (IS)" organisation, in charge of "Amniyat" (intelligence services) and recruitment. Presumed killed in Syria in 2017, he was tried in absentia. Atar is seen as the coordinator between the Paris attacks and attacks the following year in Brussels.

*CHARGES: Included leadership of a terrorist organisation; complicity in murders related to a terrorist undertaking; complicity in attempted murders and hostage taking in relation to a terrorist undertaking.

*SENTENCE : Life imprisonment.

MOHAMED BAKKALI, BELGIAN, AGE 35 – GUILTY

*ROLE: Presented as the jihadist hit squad's main logistician. In 2020, a French court sentence Bakkali to 25 years in jail for his role in an attack on a Thalys train in August 2015 on its way to Paris from Amsterdam.

*CHARGES: Included membership of a terrorist criminal association; complicity in murder, attempted murder and hostage taking related to a terrorist undertaking.

*SENTENCE: 30-year prison sentence with no possibility to request parole before 20 years.

FABIEN AND JEAN-MICHEL CLAIN, FRENCH, BOTH DEAD AT AGE 41 AND 38 – GUILTY

*ROLE: Both were high profile French jihadists and recruiters and claimed responsibility for the attacks. They were also linked to the January 2015 attack against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Tried in absentia.

*CHARGES: Complicity in murder, attempted murder and hostage taking in relation to a terrorist undertaking.

*SENTENCE: Life imprisonment with no provision for eventual release.

OSAMA KRAYEM, SWEDISH, AGE 29 – GUILTY

*ROLE: Perhaps the most senior Islamic State member in the box, He was accused of playing a lead role in planning the Paris attacks and the 2016 Brussels attacks.

*CHARGES: Include membership of a terrorist organisation; complicity in murder, attempted murder and hostage taking in relation to a terrorist undertaking.

*SENTENCE: 30-year prison sentence with no possibility to request parole before 20 years.

(Reporting by Tangi Salaun and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Richard Lough and Grant McCool)

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