He was one of those whom the press nicknamed "
the ch'tits of Allah
".
Lionel Dumont, one of the oldest French jihadists, member of the "Roubaix gang", was released from prison in November, learned
Le Point
and France Bleu.
This 51-year-old Frenchman was sentenced in 2007 to 25 years in prison for a series of ultra-violent robberies and an attempted attack.
Read alsoLionel Dumont sentenced to twenty-five years in prison
This Roubaisien, last of a sibling of eight children in a Catholic family, converted to Islam at the age of 20, after the death of a friend.
He attended the Da'wa mosque, known for its fundamentalist sermons, then interrupted his history studies to enlist in the army.
Lionel Dumont was then sent to war zones in Africa, notably in Somalia, a country in the throes of a dramatic famine, where he said he was seized by the impotence of the international community.
"Abu Hamza"
While on leave in France in 1993, he met Christophe Caze, a former medical student who had just cut his teeth alongside "his Muslim brothers" from Bosnia, in the middle of the Balkan war. Lionel Dumont is seduced by the Islamist and decides to follow him to fight alongside the Mujahideen, these armed jihadist groups that come partly from Afghanistan. These fanatical soldiers participate in war crimes against the local population. On the zone, Lionel Dumont calls himself "Abou Hamza", a reference to his agility in combat.
At the end of the war in 1995, the two Frenchmen returned to France and Christophe Caze convinced Lionel Dumont, as well as other radicalized people, to commit robberies to finance international jihadist networks.
For three months, they carry out a series of robberies with weapons of war in the Lille region.
They also commit an attempted car bomb attack in front of the central police station in Lille, a few days before a G7 meeting in the city.
Eight years on the run
The majority of the members of the "Roubaix gang" finally died in a Raid assault in March 1996. While the leader Christophe Caze was shot dead by the Belgian police, Lionel Dumont fled to Bosnia, where he committed a new series of robberies murderers. Arrested by the local authorities, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but managed to escape from Sarajevo prison. His run through several countries in Europe and Asia ended eight years later, in December 2003, when he was arrested in Germany.
In 2007, the Douai Court of Appeal sentenced him to 25 years' imprisonment for two robberies, as well as the attempted attack in front of the central police station in Lille.
He is serving his sentence in high security prisons, in particular the prison of Vendin-le-Vieil (Pas-de-Calais) or Condé-sur-Sarthe (Orne).
The security period prevented him from considering a request for parole before 2020. Released in June 2022, he was released from prison against the advice of the prosecution.
Placed under an electronic bracelet, he returned to settle in his native region, near Dunkirk, reports France Bleu.
