PARIS: A French terrorist, who was close to the brothers behind the 2015 massacre at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, went on trial in Paris on Monday.
Peter Cherif, also known as Abou Hamza, was arrested in Djibouti in 2018 after years of allegedly fighting in the ranks of Al-Qaeda in the Middle East.
He is being tried for terrorism-related offenses allegedly committed between 2011 and 2018, and the 2011 kidnapping of three French aid workers in Yemen.
In 2015, Cherif was placed on a US blacklist as a member of the Yemen-based militant group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Cherif, 42, was linked to a Paris terrorist cell and was named in the enquiry into the fatal January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, due to his regular contact with the perpetrators, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi.
The massacre claimed the lives of 12 people and sent shock waves across France.
Cherif has not been formally charged over the attack but his potential involvement is expected to be at the center of the trial.
Investigating judges believe that he “facilitated the integration into AQAP of one of the Kouachi brothers, most probably Cherif” and that he had knowledge of the plan to carry out an attack in France
According to several witnesses, including Cherif’s late girlfriend, AQAP advised foreign fighters in Yemen to return to their countries of origin to stage attacks.
Peter Cherif is also believed to have maintained contact with Cherif Kouachi on his return to France.
He has denied having knowledge of the planned attack.
In 2020, he was a witness during the trial over the 2015 attacks and claimed to have had “nothing to do” with the massacre.
According to Sefen Guez Guez, one of his lawyers, Cherif “knows that the Charlie Hebdo trial weighs heavily in the balance but he will come forward with a sincere statement.”
Cherif faces life in prison if convicted.
He grew up in the 19th district of Paris and converted to Islam in 2003.

LONDON: British broadcaster Huw Edwards, one of the most recognizable faces on UK television, is due to be sentenced Monday over indecent photographs of children, capping a stunning fall from stardom.
The ex-BBC presenter has guided Britons through some of their country’s most seismic events over the past two decades, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and coronation of King Charles III.
His calm delivery — mixed with the publicly funded broadcaster’s reputation for journalistic impartiality — made him a trusted and reassuring presence on screens for millions watching at home.
But the 63-year-old’s reputation and career now lie in tatters after he pleaded guilty in July to three charges of making indecent images of children between December 2020 and August 2021.
Edwards faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a minimum of 12 months when he learns his fate at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London at around 10:00 am (0900 GMT). It is possible it could be suspended.
The former leading anchor admitted receiving 41 indecent images of children over WhatsApp, including seven of the most serious type.
Most children were aged 13 to 15 and one was between seven and nine.
Edwards was first arrested in November and charged in June, but the case was only revealed publicly in late July a couple of days before he appeared in court to admit the counts.
The Welsh presenter had resigned from the BBC in April on “medical advice” after 40 years with the broadcaster.
The BBC, whose brand is built on public trust, has admitted being made aware by police of the arrest and has been criticized for paying Edwards a salary for six months afterwards.
The broadcaster is funded by a license fee paid by UK households.

Edwards was made anchor of the BBC’s flagship 10:00 p.m. news bulletin in 2003.
As well as the funeral of the late Queen, Edwards narrated the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton and has hosted UK general election coverage.
But the father-of-five’s professional life began to unravel in July 2023 when he was suspended by the BBC following allegations in a tabloid newspaper that he paid a young man for explicit images.
Edwards did not comment publicly on the allegations, but his wife released a statement saying her husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and receiving “in-patient hospital care.”
The police’s criminal investigation into Edwards started after a phone seized by officers as part of an unrelated probe revealed his participation in a WhatsApp conversation.
Police say the man who sent Edwards the images was a 25-year-old convicted paedophile.
BBC director Tim Davie said the broadcaster was “very shocked” at the details that came to light during Edwards’ prosecution.
The BBC Board has said that Edwards brought the corporation into “disrepute” and that it has asked him to return his salary from the time he was arrested — a sum of £200,000.
The BBC has been rocked in recent years by scandals that saw some big names revealed as serial sex offenders and reports of a culture of covering up for its star presenters.
A current BBC employee and a former staff member have been critical of an internal inquiry that has not been made public, after they told the BBC last year they had received “inappropriate messages” from Edwards.