The murder of teacher Samuel Paty has sent a shock wave across France. More details are gradually becoming known about the seven suspects charged in the investigation. We know this about them.
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Samuel Paty was beheaded on Friday in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (near Paris) by 18-year-old Chechen refugee Abdullakh Anzorov, after showing Mohammed cartoons in a lesson on freedom of speech.
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The Chechen was in contact with a Russian-speaking jihadist in Syria. The identity of the jihadist has not yet been determined at this stage. According to Le Parisien, the person located via their IP address would be in Idlib, the last rebel and jihadist bastion in Syria.
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Abdullakh Anzorov claimed responsibility for his act via an audio message in Russian, in which he said he “took revenge for the Prophet Muhammad” and accused the professor of “showing him in an insulting manner”. “Brothers, pray that Allah will accept me as a martyr,” said the murderer. He was shot dead by the police shortly afterwards. In the meantime, seven people have been charged.
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Pupil’s father
A student’s parent called for action on Facebook against Samuel Paty following his course on freedom of expression that took place Oct. 5. The father was informed of this by his daughter who was not present during the lesson in question. On October 7, he posted an inflammatory text and video on social media.
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According to the prosecution, the father has exchanged several messages with the attacker via WhatsApp. According to BFM-TV, the terrorist contacted the man by telephone on the day of the first message on social media. The father said he did not remember this discussion and explained to investigators that his phone was full of messages in response to his post on Facebook.
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On Saturday, October 10, the terrorist contacted him again via WhatsApp. They exchanged a few messages, the terrorist told him that he had discovered that “the exact same thing” happened “in 2015.” Three days later they called again, but the father claimed not to remember anything. He still insists that he doesn’t know the attacker.
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The man is charged with “complicity in terrorist murder”.
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Islamist Abdelhakim Sefrioui
Militant Abdelhakim Sefrioui, who has been followed for years by the French security services, also contacted the father on 7 October following his post on Facebook. He then went with him to the school to meet with the principal and demand the teacher’s dismissal.
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The founder of the pro-Palestinian collective Cheikh Yassin – Macron announced the disbandment of this organization – also featured in the second video the father posted to Facebook.
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He is charged with “complicity in terrorist murder”.
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Three friends of the terrorist
Three friends of Abdullakh Anzorov – who spontaneously came to report to the Evreux police station on Friday evening after the attack – have been brought before the investigating judge. According to a source close to the file, one of them is suspected of transporting the attacker to the school by car, while another is suspected of accompanying him to Rouen to purchase the weapon used in his attack. Abdullakh Anzorov reportedly said he wanted to offer it to his grandfather.
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Two are charged with “complicity in terrorist murder”, a third are prosecuted for “terrorist gangs with a view to committing crimes against persons”
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Two students
Two minors passed on information about the teacher to the perpetrator in exchange for money.
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A 14-year-old student at the school told investigators that last Friday, when he left the school at around 2 p.m., a man asked him to nominate him Samuel Paty in exchange for a sum of between 300 and 350 euros. The Chechen explained to the teen that he was looking for the teacher to ask for and humiliate apologies for showing the Mohammed cartoons.
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The student said he was impressed by the amount of money and accepted it without being aware of the seriousness of the facts at the time.
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For the hours that follow, the teenager remains near the school with the terrorist and “appears to be hiding from the surveillance cameras and a police patrol,” prosecutor Jean-François Ricard said at a news conference on Wednesday.
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When the history teacher finally leaves the school, a 15-year-old student from a group of five students runs up to the attacker to give him information. The group does not see the continuation of events. The five share the money and soon learn what happened. One of them explains in custody that he did not warn the grown man for fear of him and because money was at stake. He claims to be terribly sorry.
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“The two students allowed themselves to be manipulated,” said Jacky Attias, the lawyer for one of the teens. “He was offered banknotes, denominations of 10 euros. It was the first time he saw such a large amount. He gave in to this temptation … ”.
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The two students have been charged with “complicity in terrorist murder”.
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Also read: Samuel Paty, the teacher everyone wanted, is now a martyr for the free word (+)
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