Mathis, 20, and Ibrahim, 18, both residents of Verviers, were sentenced to four and 38 months in prison with probation suspended for half of their prison sentences before the Criminal Court of Liège for having participated in the activities of a terrorist organisation. Mathis was already known to the authorities when he was still a minor. He has already followed a deradicalisation process, which, as the federal prosecutor stated at the previous hearing, had absolutely no effect.
Indeed, just a few months later, he was once again at the centre of a new investigation for participation in the activities of a terrorist organisation. The two young men married two young French women who had been radicalised. Ibrahim, who was a student at a Catholic school in Verviers, had organised prayers in the school’s car park, sometimes even during classes. He called himself the prophet and a small group of young people were at his beck and call. He ended up being expelled.
Divine punishment for the population
The legal case began in February 2023 following a fight between Mathis and young Turkish women. Indeed, he declared that the earthquake that had just hit the Turkish population hard, causing deaths, was a “divine punishment towards the Turkish population who did not sufficiently support the Islamic state.“
These comments were, to say the least, shocking, made after following a deradicalization course. The links between the two young people were quickly brought to light. Everyone smashed their phones when the police arrived. However, the investigation revealed that they had decided to carry out a project “Also 2“named after this French professor who had his throat cut by an Islamist terrorist on October 16, 2020. Mathis and Ibrahim had already bought a machete to carry out their project. They wanted to slit the throat of a religion teacher because they believed that she “spoke badly about the Quran” !
“I accept Allah as the only judge, I totally disavow your laws“,
According to the investigation, they also planned to go and fight with terrorist groups in the Sahel to die as martyrs. They viewed videos of attacks and killings. They had a martyrdom training guide. One of them had written a letter of allegiance to the Islamic state and a will for the attention of his relatives. The persons concerned committed the damage to the Chapel of Our Lady of the Poor in Stavelot, but also vandalized and trampled a cross left by cub scouts in a wood. “Me, I’m muslim“, Ibrahim said in a defiant tone. “I accept Allah as the only judge, I totally disavow your laws“, he concluded in front of a stunned audience.
