French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence

Peter Cherif, who spent seven years in Yemen with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was suspected of having trained Chérif Kouachi, one of the perpetrators of the January 7, 2015, Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack.

A French jihadist close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was sentenced to life imprisonment, on Thursday, October 3.

Peter Cherif, 42, had been on trial in Paris since mid-September for "belonging to a criminal terrorist association" while fighting for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen from 2011 to 2018. During that time he is suspected of training his Paris childhood friend Chérif Kouachi, who along with his brother Saïd perpetrated the January 7, 2015 massacre at Charlie Hebdo's offices in the French capital – for which AQAP later claimed responsibility.

The trial judge sentenced Cherif to life behind bars, with a minimum of 22 years to be served. The president of the court said the decision had been taken "in view of the seriousness of the acts" for which Cherif was convicted.