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| Verdict in March for 3 in France Accused of Intent to Fight in Syria | Verdict in March for 3 in France Accused of Intent to Fight in Syria |
| (7 months later) | |
| PARIS — The first trial of French citizens accused of trying to join the rebellion in Syria concluded Friday after lawyers for the government and the defendants presented their arguments in a Paris courtroom. | |
| The judge in the trial, which began Thursday, said he would render a verdict and sentence the men on March 7. | The judge in the trial, which began Thursday, said he would render a verdict and sentence the men on March 7. |
| The three men — Youssef Ettaoujar, 26; Fares Farsi, 21; and Salah-Eddine Gourmat, 24 — 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; Mr. Farsi and Mr. Gourmat carried Algerian passports as well as French passports, while Mr. Ettaoujar carried French and Moroccan passports. | The three men — Youssef Ettaoujar, 26; Fares Farsi, 21; and Salah-Eddine Gourmat, 24 — 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; Mr. Farsi and Mr. Gourmat carried Algerian passports as well as French passports, while Mr. Ettaoujar carried French and Moroccan passports. |
| All worked in low-paying jobs and live in working-class neighborhoods of Paris or its suburbs. | All worked in low-paying jobs and live in working-class neighborhoods of Paris or its suburbs. |
| They were apprehended at the airport in St. Étienne 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. | They were apprehended at the airport in St. Étienne 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. |
| One of the suspects said they were inspired by a radical Islamist of Senegalese origin, whom they met through Facebook and later in person in Nice, France. | One of the suspects said they were inspired by a radical Islamist of Senegalese origin, whom they met through Facebook and later in person in Nice, France. |
| 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. Étienne. Photos of Osama bin Laden and flags of Al Qaeda were in their homes. | 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. Étienne. Photos of Osama bin Laden and flags of Al Qaeda were in their homes. |
| Mr. Ettaoujar is currently in detention because he had previously gone to Mali and was alleged to have tried to participate in terrorist acts there as well. Prosecutors said they worried that he might try to leave again unless he was detained. The other two defendants are free. | Mr. Ettaoujar is currently in detention because he had previously gone to Mali and was alleged to have tried to participate in terrorist acts there as well. Prosecutors said they worried that he might try to leave again unless he was detained. The other two defendants are free. |
| In a related development on Friday, an investigating magistrate in Paris placed two boys, ages 15 and 16, under formal investigation on suspicion of conspiring to commit terrorist acts, Reuters reported. The boys, the youngest suspects to possibly face prosecution on such a charge in France, were arrested in Turkey and accused of trying to join Islamist rebel groups in Syria. The boys’ lawyers disputed the allegations, Reuters said. | In a related development on Friday, an investigating magistrate in Paris placed two boys, ages 15 and 16, under formal investigation on suspicion of conspiring to commit terrorist acts, Reuters reported. The boys, the youngest suspects to possibly face prosecution on such a charge in France, were arrested in Turkey and accused of trying to join Islamist rebel groups in Syria. The boys’ lawyers disputed the allegations, Reuters said. |
| The French government is a strong supporter of the Syrian rebels and the first Western government to recognize them, in late 2012. France also led the call last year for airstrikes against targets of President Bashar al-Assad’s government after the discovery that chemical weapons were used against civilians. | The French government is a strong supporter of the Syrian rebels and the first Western government to recognize them, in late 2012. France also led the call last year for airstrikes against targets of President Bashar al-Assad’s government after the discovery that chemical weapons were used against civilians. |
| Much of the evidence against the adult suspects was from wiretaps and searches of computers seized from their homes. | Much of the evidence against the adult suspects was from wiretaps and searches of computers seized from their homes. |
| Under the law, the men could each be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison. The government prosecutor asked for six years for Mr. Ettaoujar, four for Mr. Gourmat and three for Mr. Farsi. | Under the law, the men could each be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison. The government prosecutor asked for six years for Mr. Ettaoujar, four for Mr. Gourmat and three for Mr. Farsi. |
| Julien Fresnault, Mr. Ettaoujar’s lawyer, said his client had not thought hard about what he was going to do or the potential consequences. “Concretely, what they were going to do there, we don’t know,” Mr. Fresnault said. | Julien Fresnault, Mr. Ettaoujar’s lawyer, said his client had not thought hard about what he was going to do or the potential consequences. “Concretely, what they were going to do there, we don’t know,” Mr. Fresnault said. |
| The lawyer for Mr. Farsi asked for his acquittal, describing him as a confused 19-year-old at the time of his arrest whose parents were in the middle of a divorce. Lacking confidence and having promised to go with the other two to Turkey with the goal of fighting in Syria, he was afraid to go back on his word, his lawyer said. | The lawyer for Mr. Farsi asked for his acquittal, describing him as a confused 19-year-old at the time of his arrest whose parents were in the middle of a divorce. Lacking confidence and having promised to go with the other two to Turkey with the goal of fighting in Syria, he was afraid to go back on his word, his lawyer said. |