The assassination of the history and geography professor shocked France. On October 16, 2020, Samuel Paty was stabbed and beheaded near his college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines) for teaching freedom of expression. Four years later, the trial of eight defendants opens this Monday in Paris for their alleged involvement in the campaign of intimidation and hatred preceding the crime or the help they allegedly provided to the terrorist Abdoullakh Anzorov, killed by the police. shortly after his act.
This 18-year-old Russian refugee of Chechen origin, “rooted in violence […]had become strongly radicalized in the summer of 2020″, emphasize in their order the investigating judges, recalling the “very high level of terrorist threat” during this period: the “trial of the January 2015 attacks” began in September and an attack took place in front of the former premises of Charlie-Hebdo which had republished the caricatures of Mohammed.
Abdoullakh Anzorov criticized Samuel Paty for showing it in class, during a reflection exercise in Moral and Civic Education. « Son mobile », specify the judges, was the “revenge for an offense which he considered to have been done to his Prophet”. The radicalized young person had in fact spotted the designated teacher on social networks in the previous days.
A cyberharassment campaign born from a lie
Samuel Paty was then the target of a cyberharassment campaign following the lie of a 13-year-old student. To hide from her parents that she was excluded for two days for her indiscipline, the schoolgirl claims to be expelled for having stood up to the teacher who, she says, asked the Muslim students to leave the class before projecting a drawing of the naked prophet. She did not actually attend the class, but her version is relayed by unscrupulous adults, stirring up controversy with videos in which they describe the teacher as “thug” and demand his dismissal.
A spiral that led to the “killing” by Samuel Paty in the words of the national anti-terrorism prosecution. The young girl and five other ex-college students who had guided the jihadist towards his victim for remuneration were sentenced at the end of 2023 by the children's court to sentences ranging from 14 months' suspended imprisonment to two years, including six months. Eight adults, including a woman, will appear before the special Paris Assize Court.
Two friends of the terrorist tried for “complicity” face life imprisonment
The investigating magistrates retained the heaviest offense of “complicity in terrorist assassination”, punishable by life imprisonment, for two friends of Abdoullakh Anzorov: Azim Epsirkhanov, a 23-year-old Chechen and Naïm Boudaoud, a 22-year-old Frenchman. years. The day before the attack, they accompanied the jihadist to Rouen to purchase a knife found near the crime scene. Boudaoud, who transported him on the day of the events to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, was also with him for the purchase, just before in Cergy (Val-d'Oise), of two Airsoft pistols.
For the anti-terrorism judges, the two accused knew of Anzorov's radicalization and “were aware of his criminal intentions”. Which they refute. Claiming that he had never spoken about the controversy over the presentation of caricatures and had justified the purchase of the knife “to give it to his grandfather”. Boudaoud also always denied knowing the destinations to which he was driving his friend on October 16.
Chnina and Sefrioui “knowingly designated him as a potential target” for the prosecution
The father of the schoolgirl who lied, Brahim Chnina, 52, and the Islamist activist Abdelhakim Sefrioui, 65, will be tried for “terrorist criminal association”. They risk up to 30 years in prison. The two men, in pre-trial detention for four years, relayed, according to the prosecution, the teenager's version on social networks, stigmatizing the professor and triggering a wave of hatred against him. In doing so, she believes that they “knowingly designated him as a potential target for terrorist action.”
During the investigation, Chnina contested any incitement “to kill” in his messages and videos, also ensuring that he had no knowledge of Anzorov's deadly project, with whom he had discussions. He reiterated that his goal was “to obtain an administrative sanction against the teacher”. Like Sefrioui, whose defense insists that he had no contact with the attacker and that there is no proof that the latter saw the video posted by their client five days before the attack.
A woman among the accused, already cited in other proceedings
The court will also try three people who belonged to Snapchat groups revolving around Abdoullakh Anzorov. The Turk Yusuf Cinar, the Russian of Chechen origin Ismaïl Gamaev and the Reunionese Louqmane Ingar, all aged 22, according to the accusation exchanged messages with him with jihadist content. The only woman among those accused, Priscilla Mangel, 36, known to belong to the radical Islamist movement, is accused of having “comfortable” Anzorov in her project, even if she did not know the exact nature of it, according to anti-terrorism magistrates.
The trial, scheduled until December 19, will also be an opportunity to discuss Samuel Paty, a man “lonely, frightened, at bay”, who walked around with a hammer in his bag because he knew he was threatened. His family “demands a judicial response commensurate with what happened”, specifies his lawyer, Me Virginie Le Roy.
The provisional planning of the audience
According to the provisional schedule, the hearing will open this week with the examination of the personalities of the eight accused, as well as with a general presentation of the investigation, the hearings of experts and the start of the hearings of civil parties. (until November 13).
This will be followed by the presentation of the journey of the terrorist Abdoullakh Anzorov and the charges against Azim Epsirkhanov and Naïm Boudaoud, before their interrogations scheduled for November 20 and 21. The following week will be devoted to examining the course and proceedings against Brahim Chnina and Abdelhakim Sefrioui, who are to be questioned on December 2 and 3.
During the following hearings and until December 12, the special assize court must focus on the backgrounds of the four other accused, who will also be questioned about the facts with which they are accused. The public prosecutor's indictment is scheduled for Monday, December 16. The defense pleadings will follow. The last word will be given to the defendants on Thursday, December 19, before the court retires to deliberate.
