A 29-year-old man from Pakistan has been sentenced to thirty years in prison for a knife attack near the former office of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The September 2020 attack left two people seriously injured.
The victims, a man and a woman, were attacked with a cleaver during a break. Their office is located next to the former Charlie Hebdo editorial office, which was targeted in a terrorist attack ten years ago that resulted in twelve deaths.
The Pakistani was motivated by the republication of controversial Mohammed cartoons by Charlie Hebdo earlier that month. The convicted man mistakenly attacked the old address, as the publication had relocated after the 2015 attack.
The court found him guilty of terrorism and attempted murder and has banned him from French territory, meaning he will be deported after serving his sentence. The man had entered France illegally from Pakistan several years ago.
In addition to the 29-year-old, five others were convicted, receiving sentences ranging from three to twelve years for supporting and encouraging the attack. Some were minors at the time.
Source: NOS