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Attacks in Mali: was the accused jihadist released in exchange for Sophie Pétronin?

2020-10-25T06:17:45.947Z


The presence in the box of the accused of the Mauritanian jihadist, who is to be tried Tuesday in Mali for Islamist attacks, including the one that


The greatest uncertainty reigns over the holding of this so crucial trial.

No one is able to say with certainty whether Fawaz Ould Ahmed, a senior executive of the Al-Mourabitoune terrorist group, affiliated with Al-Qaida, will appear this Tuesday, October 27 before the assize court in Bamako (Mali), where he is appearing for his presumed responsibility in the wave of attacks which mourned Mali in 2015. This 42-year-old Mauritanian is notably accused of having perpetrated, on the night of March 6 to 7, 2015, the attack against the bar- restaurant la Terrasse, a popular spot for expatriates in the Malian capital, which claimed the life of a French national.

Arrested in 2016, the accused claimed responsibility for his action.

The attack left 5 dead: three Malians, a Belgian soldier and a young Frenchman of 30, Fabien Guyomard.

For the family of the latter, supported by the National Federation of Victims of Attacks and Collective Accidents (Fenvac), this is a decisive step.

The hearing must be retransmitted by video in a room of the judicial tribunal of Paris to allow them to attend but without being able to intervene in the debates.

Traded in secret for Sophie Pétronin?

However, according to several press organizations, Fawaz Ould Ahmed could be one of some 200 jihadists released earlier this month in exchange for the release, on October 8, of a Malian opposition leader, Soumaïla Cissé, and the French hostage Sophie Pétronin.

But this very sensitive information turns out to be impossible to verify.

"We would rather have information contrary to his release but which remains to be verified", indicates a source familiar with the matter.

The newspaper Liberation, which had access to the list of released detainees, indicates that he is not part of it but that his case is still the subject of speculation.

Asked, the Ministry of Justice indicates that it "does not have information on the situation of Fawaz Ould Ahmed" and invites to get closer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Which Quai d'Orsay… does not answer the question.

“The negotiations were led by Mali alone.

The decision to release jihadists is a decision that belongs only to the Malian authorities, who deemed that this was essential to obtain the release of Soumaïla Cissé ”, indicates a diplomatic source, which specifies that France's commitment against terrorist movements remains whole.

What about Fawaz Ould Ahmed?

Nothing.

In the wake of the attack against "Charlie Hebdo"

The capture of the suspect in 2016 by the Malian intelligence services remains an undeniable success.

Very talkative during the investigation, Fawaz Ould Ahmed, alias Ibrahim 10, recounted in detail the scenes of the attack on the Terrace.

He admitted to having been commissioned, with an accomplice, by the management of the Al-Mourabitoune group.

It was then, in the wake of the shooting of "Charlie Hebdo", to attack Western targets.

The two attackers received a large sum of money to carry out their act.

Thanks to this manna, the pair was able to acquire weapons of war, rent several conspiratorial homes and carry out locations.

On the evening of the incident, while his accomplice is in charge of keeping watch in an alley, Fawaz ould Ahmed enters the bar and isolates himself in the toilets.

There, he puts on a black hood and takes out of his bag a Kalashnikov, a handgun and grenades.

The carnage can begin.

In addition to the five victims, several clients were injured, including Swiss nationals.

Fabien Guyomard, the French victim of the attack of March 6, 2015./DR  

Less than a week later, his accomplice was killed during his arrest.

The Mauritanian fled before being arrested in April 2016. He immediately recognized the facts.

And brags about it.

“I absolutely do not regret my actions.

I did it for God and I do not intend to ask forgiveness from someone ”, he claims during an interrogation, expressing only remorse for the death of Malian nationals.

"I have a clear conscience," he asserts.

He also allegedly planned the attack on the Radisson Blu

In front of the investigators, Ibrahim 10 also returned on his course.

It was in 2007 that he joined the jihad with the group led by the formidable Mokhtar Belmokhtar in northern Mali.

He intends to react to the invasion of Iraq by the American army in 2003. According to his statements, he follows training in the handling of weapons in the desert and quickly climbs the ranks of the organization.

In December 2008, he was distinguished by the kidnapping in Niamey (Niger) of two Canadian diplomats who were released a month and a half later.

This act, he explained, would have allowed him to be propelled to the top of the terrorist organization.

In addition to his involvement in the Terrace shooting, this father of an 8-year-old child is suspected of having planned two other attacks in Mali: against the Byblos hotel in Sévaré (13 dead on August 7, 2015) and against the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako (22 dead on November 20, 2015).

He is also supposed to appear this week for this second attack.

"Clearly embarrassed silence"

For those close to Fabien Guyomard, this uncertainty is obviously painful.

“Despite our requests, we have no feedback from the authorities, deplores Me Gérard Chemla, Fenvac's lawyer.

It is clearly embarrassed silence.

If the release of Fawaz Ould Ahmed were to be confirmed, this would call into question the fundamentals of Operation Barkhane.

"

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"We obviously hope that the accused will be present," engages Sophia Seco, the general manager of Fenvac.

It is very rare that the direct perpetrators of a terrorist act appear.

In this case, it is also necessary to underline the quality of the investigations in Mali.

For us who have been mobilized from the start with Fabien Guyomard's family, this trial is a culmination.

"A judicial source wants to be reassuring:" Nothing indicates that the accused has been released.

»End of this embarrassing suspense Tuesday.

Source: leparis

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