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| Trial Opens for French Men Accused of Jihadism | Trial Opens for French Men Accused of Jihadism |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| PARIS — The first trial of French citizens accused of attempting to join the rebellion in Syria began this week, with a judge detailing the evidence against them. The hearing began Thursday and is expected to conclude late Friday. | PARIS — The first trial of French citizens accused of attempting to join the rebellion in Syria began this week, with a judge detailing the evidence against them. The hearing began Thursday and is expected to conclude late Friday. |
| The three men x- were indicted under a law enacted in 2012 that makes it a crime to have the intent to prepare terrorist acts. All three are Muslims, and two carried Algerian passports as well as French passports. One carried a Moroccan passport. | |
| All are in their 20s, work in low-paid jobs and live in working-class neighborhoods of Paris or its suburbs. | All are in their 20s, work in low-paid jobs and live in working-class neighborhoods of Paris or its suburbs. |
| They were apprehended at the airport in St. Etienne in central France in May 2012 as they were boarding a flight to Gaziantep in Turkey, a border city 60 miles from Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. | |
| According to the testimony of one of the men, they hoped to meet Syrians who had fled the country and were staying at refugee camps in Turkey to learn how to get into Syria. They said they were inspired by a revolutionary Islamist preacher of Senegalese origin, whom they met through Facebook and later met in person in the French city of Nice. | |
| The police said they found holsters, bulletproof vests, night-vision goggles and cash in the men’s luggage when they were picked up in St. Etienne. Photos of Osama bin Laden and Qaeda flags were found in their homes. | |
| Youssef Ettaoujar, 27, the apparent leader of the group, said he expected to get military training from the French and Americans, whom he said were supplying the rebels fighting the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. | Youssef Ettaoujar, 27, the apparent leader of the group, said he expected to get military training from the French and Americans, whom he said were supplying the rebels fighting the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. |
| The French government is a strong supporter of the rebels and the first Western government to recognize them, in late 2012. The French government also led the call last year for airstrikes against Assad government targets in the wake of the discovery that chemical weapons were used against civiliansr. | The French government is a strong supporter of the rebels and the first Western government to recognize them, in late 2012. The French government also led the call last year for airstrikes against Assad government targets in the wake of the discovery that chemical weapons were used against civiliansr. |
| Much of the evidence against the suspects was gathered through wiretaps. | Much of the evidence against the suspects was gathered through wiretaps. |
| Under the law, the men could each be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison. | Under the law, the men could each be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison. |