Two former students of the establishment where Samuel Paty taught, sentenced at the end of 2023 for having allowed Abdoullakh Anzorov to identify his victim, testified on Monday in a tense atmosphere.
“I’m sorry, I’m not going to lie to you, I made a mistake.” Now an adult, Karim*, a former student of the Bois d'Aulne college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (Yvelines), apologized on Monday, November 18, to the family of Samuel Paty. This is not the first time that the young man finds himself in a court of law: he was convicted almost a year ago by a children's court for conspiracy to commit aggravated violence. At the end of the trial of six minors, which took place entirely behind closed doors, he was sentenced to two years in prison, including six months under an electronic bracelet, accompanied by socio-judicial monitoring.
This time, Karim, with shoulder-length curly hair, thin mustache and sparse beard, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, speaks as a witness before the special criminal court of Paris, before which they are referred eight accused for their involvement, to varying degrees, in the plan of the terrorist who stabbed then beheaded the history and geography professor as he left the establishment. “It is not a question of repeating the trial but the court needs to hear from you on a certain number of points”specifies the president. A way of bringing down a notch the tension that reigns before the ex-college student, now unemployed, recounts his version of the facts.
“I finished school, a man came to see me. He offered me money in exchange for showing him the teacher. I accepted”concedes in an even voice Karim, aged 14 and in fourth grade at the time of the events, in the fall of 2020. A financial motivation on which he insists throughout his testimony: “It was just for the money.” “Honestly, I didn’t think about it at all.”assures the young man, who specifies a little later that Abdoullakh Anzorov proposed “350 euros in two stages”. “We told him that the teacher was there and then this drama happened”he adds, rolling his eyes slightly to the sky.
The “Sir” he is talking about is Abdoullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old refugee from the Russian Republic of Chechnya, who will be shot dead by the police after having murdered Samuel Paty. A young man in appearance “normal” in Karim's eyes.
“He told me: ‘It’s not good what he did, to show a caricature’.”
Karimbefore the special assize court of Paris
“He explains to you why he’s looking for him?” asks the president of the court, Franck Zientara. The young witness nods. “Does he tell you what he wants to do?” continues the magistrate. “Film Monsieur Paty and have Monsieur Paty apologize for what he did.” Franck Zientara insists: “Did you think this was going to end badly?” “We all thought he was going to hit him.”admits Karim, who admits to having thought “to a fight, but never to this”without ever uttering the word assassination or beheading.
At the request of Abdoullakh Anzorov, Karim does not hesitate to call and put on loudspeaker Zohra* Chnina, the schoolgirl who had accused Samuel Paty of having shown caricatures of Mohammed deemed obscene. The 13-year-old girl, who was actually absent from school on the day of the lesson, was sentenced at the same time as Karim to eighteen months in prison, suspended for slanderous denunciation. His father, Brahim Chnina, is today among the defendants tried before the Paris Special Assize Court for criminal terrorist association.
During this telephone conversation, Zohra talks about caricatures of Mohammed, as confirmed by Sami*, another schoolboy heard in the morning. “Karim told her to tell her what happened in class, that she got kicked out of class because of the teacher”explains the young man, now 19 years old and in final year of school. He was sentenced to a twenty-month probationary sentence on December 8, 2023.
“He told us he wanted to see the professor for revenge.”
Samibefore the special assize court of Paris
The former schoolboy tries as best he can to gather his memories: “We were talking about injustice, everyone was upset about it. As there was a video, it made it real.”
“A caricature is just a drawing for me”cowardly Karim, who claims not to have understood the extent of the situation. He twists his hands, puts them in front of his face, hides his eyes, chokes back a few tears then composes himself. “Why is this falling on me?” he asks in a trembling voice. Faced with pressing questions from lawyer Hiba Rizkallah, who defends Naïm Boudaoud, one of the attacker's relatives accused of complicity in a terrorist assassination, the young man struggles to answer. As he leaves the room, the lawyer becomes indignant and claims that he has just threatened her. A moment of tension which ends up calming down after a short recess of the hearing.
* First names have been changed.
