Reda Hame, recruit in Syria of the alleged coordinator of the November 13 attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was sentenced Friday on appeal to 14 years of criminal imprisonment.
To read also: The jihadist Reda Hame, recruit of Abaaoud in Syria in 2015, sentenced to twelve years of imprisonment
The special assize court did not follow the requisitions of the Advocate General who had requested the maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment against the accused.
The special assize court has attached this sentence to a two-thirds security period.
The accused and his lawyers received the sentence with relief.
“
Even in my wildest dreams I couldn't believe it,
” Archibald Celeyron told AFP.
The court chaired by David Hill delivered its judgment after a little over two hours of deliberation.
At first instance, Reda Hame, 35, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, a sanction deemed too lenient by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT).
During her indictment, the Advocate General had asked the court to impose an "
exemplary
"
sanction
on "
the height of the commitment
”of the accused alongside the Islamist organization.
"
We are dealing with someone deeply dangerous (...) Do not be fooled by appearances
", she said to the court.
Me Archibald Celeyron had asked the court to "
punish him but not destroy him
".
If Reda Hame, arrested in Paris in August 2015, admitted having spent a stay in Syria, in an area controlled by ISIS, between June 12 and 19, 2015 and having been trained by Abdelhamid Abaaoud, he denies having had the intention to commit an attack.
During his first trial, he had recounted having pretended to accept the murderous mission entrusted to him by ISIS and thus leave
the
Syrian “
quagmire
”.
“
I never meant to hurt anyone
,” the accused said before the court retired to deliberate.