20 men found guilty in 2015 Paris terror attacks


Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of a 10-person Islamic State extremist group that killed 130 people in a string of attacks on Paris in 2015, has been found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life in prison without parole, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
Nineteen others were also found guilty of involvement in the incident, which targeted the Bataclan music hall, six cafes, and the Stade de France sports stadium, and constitutes the deadliest peacetime assault in French history, CNBC writes. Of the 19, 18 were found guilty of all charges against them, "which included being accomplices to murder and hostage-taking," while one was convicted on a lesser charge, notes The New York Times. The Wednesday sentences can be appealed.
The trial, which took place over a record ten months, saw testimony from hundreds of individuals, including the president of France at the time of the attacks, François Hollande. Only 14 of the 20 defendants appeared in court, "with the other six missing or presumed dead," the Times writes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Arthur Denouveaux, who survived the Bataclan attack, told Reuters that the ruling "will help us."
"When things like that happen, you can't have reparation but you can have justice," Denouveaux said. "It was justice for sure, but it's not healing everything."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Critics' choice: Three takes on tavern dining
Feature A second Minetta Tavern, A 1946 dining experience, and a menu with a mission
By The Week US
-
Film reviews: Warfare and A Minecraft Movie
Feature A combat film that puts us in the thick of it and five misfits fall into a cubic-world adventure
By The Week US
-
What to know before lending money to family or friends
the explainer Ensure both your relationship and your finances remain intact
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge ends Eric Adams case, Trump leverage
Speed Read Federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams were dismissed, as requested by Trump's Justice Department
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Texas arrests midwife on felony abortion charges
Speed Read Maria Margarita Rojas and an employee at one of her clinics are the first to be criminally charged under Texas' near-total abortion ban
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
South Carolina to execute prisoner by firing squad
speed read Death row inmate Brad Sigmon prefers the squad over the electric chair or lethal injection, his lawyer said
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
France's 'reckoning' over largest-ever child sex abuse trial
The Explainer Joël Le Scouarnec case is latest in a series of high-profile scandals to have prompted 'deep soul searching'
By The Week Staff
-
Mexico extradites 29 cartel figures amid US tariff threat
Speed Read The extradited suspects include Rafael Caro Quintero, long sought after killing a US narcotics agent
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Leonard Peltier released from prison
Speed Read The Native American activist convicted of killing two FBI agents had his life sentence commuted by former President Joe Biden
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez sentenced to 11 years
Speed Read The former New Jersey senator was convicted on federal bribery and corruption charges last year
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US