FRANCE : Audrey Mondjehi Sentenced For Acquiring Firearm Used by Strasbourg Assailant

Mondjehi and her alleged accomplices stood trial at the Court of Assize in Paris on February 29 for their roles leading up to the assault. Arnaud Friedrich, an attorney representing some of the victims' families, emphasized the trial's significance as a pivotal moment for his clients

Audrey Mondjehi, aged 42, was found guilty of procuring a firearm used by Cherif Chekatt during his deadly shooting and stabbing rampage in Strasbourg, northeastern France. The duo had previously shared a prison cell, as revealed during the trial.

Two additional individuals received shorter prison terms for aiding Chekatt, while a fourth defendant was acquitted of all charges. Five fatalities resulted from Chekatt’s attack on the bustling market crowd, with law enforcement fatally shooting him two days later.

Mondjehi and her alleged accomplices stood trial at the Court of Assize in Paris on February 29 for their roles leading up to the assault. Arnaud Friedrich, an attorney representing some of the victims’ families, emphasized the trial’s significance as a pivotal moment for his clients.

Mondjehi was acquitted of a terrorism offense since the court determined that he was unaware of Chekatt’s intentions for the weapon.
“I think deeply and feel a lot of sadness for all the victims. All my life I will regret what happened”.

“I would never have thought that he would have done that, I never thought that he was radicalised.”

Around 8pm on December 11, 2018, Chekatt, who had a history of criminal convictions and was under surveillance as a potential national security threat, entered the historic center of Strasbourg carrying a revolver and a knife.

He evaded the area by boarding a taxi, eventually being apprehended by police following a 48-hour search. The Islamic State (IS) group asserted responsibility for the assault, and a video pledging allegiance to the group was discovered at Chekatt’s residence. However, the former French interior minister, Christophe Castaner, questioned the claim, suggesting that the group was falsely taking credit for an attack it had not orchestrated.

The five individuals who lost their lives were:

Antonio Megalizzi, a 29-year-old Italian journalist
Barto Pedro Orent-Niedzielski, a 36-year-old Strasbourg musician of Polish origin
Anupong Suebsamarn, 45, who was a Thai national on holiday with his wife
Kamal Naghchband, a garage mechanic who was originally from Afghanistan
Pascal Verdenne, a retired bank worker aged 61 from Strasbourg

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