Five jihadists found guilty of holding French journalists hostage

One of France’s most notorious ISIS terrorists has been sentenced to life in prison by a jury in Paris. Mehdi Nemmouche, 39, was responsible for the kidnapping and torture of French journalists in Syria in 2013. In Belgium, he was sentenced to life in prison six years ago for an attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels, where he shot dead four people. It was the first attack by the Islamic State in Europe. Nemmouche was on trial this week with fo…

Five jihadists found guilty of holding French journalists hostage

During their imprisonment, the four journalists were forced to watch the executions of other captives and endure beatings while surrounded by the screams of fellow detainees.

The Paris Special Assize Court sentenced Mehdi Nemmouche to life imprisonment on Friday, March 21, 2025, and found him guilty of being the jailer of Western and Syrian hostages on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) group in 2013 and 2014. He who is already serving a life sentence for the 2014 attack on the Jewish museum in Brussels did not show any reaction. President Laurent Raviot gave no reasons for the court's decision.

After five weeks of trial, the main accused was sentenced by the Paris Special Assize Court for the detention and abuse of French journalists between 2013 and 2014. His co-accused also received sentences ranging from 20 years in prison to life imprisonment for their involvement.

The five jihadists accused of sequestering and tortureing Western hostages in Syria were sentenced to sentences ranging from 20 years in prison to life imprisonment. Through...

The Paris Special Assize Court sentenced Friday Mehdi Nemmouche to life imprisonment, convicting him of being the jailer of Western and Syrian hostages on behalf of the group...