Trente ans de prison pour l’homme qui avait attaqué deux personnes devant Charlie Hebdo

L’homme qui a tenté de tuer deux personnes devant les locaux de Charlie Hebdo en septembre 2020, pensant s’en prendre à des salariés du journal satirique, a été condamné jeudi soir à 30 ans de prison par la cour d’assises spéciale des mineurs de Paris.Zaheer Mahmood, un Pakistanais de 29 ans, a été reconnu coupable de tentatives d’assassinat et association de malfaiteurs terroriste. Sa peine est assortie d’une interdiction définitive du territoire national et d’une inscription au fichier des auteurs d’infractions terroristes (Fijait).A l’annonce du verdict, il n’a pas réagi, écoutant le détail de sa condamnation grâce à un traducteur. Zaheer Mahmood, originaire d’une région rurale du Pakistan, est arrivé clandestinement en France au cours de l’été 2018. Ce musulman pratiquant et adepte d’un émir radical entendait “venger le Prophète” après la republication de caricatures de Mahomet par le journal satirique le 2 septembre 2020, à l’occasion de l’ouverture du procès des attaques jihadistes de janvier 2015. Il ignorait que l’hebdomadaire avait déménagé après l’attentat qui a décimé sa rédaction.Le 25 septembre 2020, aux alentours de 11H40, Zaheer Mahmood était arrivé rue Nicolas-Appert devant l’ancienne adresse de Charlie Hebdo, armé d’une feuille de boucher. Il avait blessé grièvement deux employés de l’agence de presse Premières Lignes. Cinq autres Pakistanais, dont certains étaient mineurs au moment des faits, ont été condamnés pour association de malfaiteurs terroriste à des peines allant de trois à douze ans de prison, à l’inscription au fichier des auteurs d’infractions terroristes (Fijait) et à l’interdiction définitive du territoire national pour les majeurs.La cour a suivi le parquet qui avait soutenu que Zaheer Mahmood n’aurait pas pu agir sans leur soutien et leurs encouragements.- “Le but, c’était de tuer” -Pendant tout le procès, l’assaillant a expliqué son geste par le profond décalage culturel qu’il ressentait à l’époque, lui qui a grandi dans un Pakistan rural et très religieux.Or à Lahore, Islamabad et Karachi, la nouvelle publication des caricatures de Mahomet en 2020 a été à l’origine d’une vague de colère et de manifestations monstres, dans un pays où les blasphémateurs sont condamnés à mort.”Le but, c’était de tuer”, avait admis Zaheer Mahmood au cours des débats.Les avocats généraux pendant leur réquisitoire avaient dénoncé l’”idéologie arriérée” de l’accusé, qualifié de “pseudo justicier-vengeur du Prophète”, s’acharnant sur les victimes pour “les décapiter avec son hachoir brandi comme un trophée”. La feuille de boucher qui frappe, plusieurs fois, qui met à terre, qui ouvre le crâne, c’est le souvenir qu’ont gardé Hélène et Paul (prénoms modifiés) aujourd’hui âgés de 32 et 37 ans.”J’ai perdu mon insouciance, ça a cassé quelque chose en moi”, avait expliqué Paul à la cour, tout en racontant son long parcours de rééducation après avoir frôlé la mort.Hélène, l’autre victime de l’attaque, a elle raconté les douleurs physiques au quotidien et le sentiment terrible que sa vie était “restée bloquée rue Nicolas-Appert”. A de nombreuses reprises pendant les plus de deux semaines de procès, Zaheer Mahmood a demandé pardon, parfois en larmes.”J’ai beaucoup de peine pour eux. J’ai vraiment honte de ce que j’ai fait. De ce qu’ils ont subi à cause de moi. Je comprends leur souffrance, vraiment je regrette énormément”, avait-il déclaré lors de son interrogatoire.Hélène et Paul ont assisté à chaque journée d’audience pour comprendre notamment les motivations de leur agresseur ainsi que son parcours mortifère. Ni l’un ni l’autre n’ont accepté les excuses de Zaheer Mahmood. Émus et fatigués, ils n’ont pas souhaité s’exprimer à l’issue du verdict. Les avocats de Mahmood n’ont pas indiqué à ce stade si leur client comptait faire appel de la condamnation.

Disparition de Lydie Logé: Monique Olivier a donné “des précisions”

La “mémoire assez précise” de Monique Olivier va-t-elle permettre de retrouver le corps de Lydie Logé, comme l’espère son avocat ? 31 ans après la disparition de cette femme, que Michel Fourniret est soupçonné d’avoir tuée, son ex-épouse a participé jeudi dans l’Orne à un troisième jour de recherches.”On a des éléments qui nous permettent d’être optimistes”, a déclaré à des journalistes Me Richard Delgenes, devant la gendarmerie d’Argentan où sa cliente a été interrogée dans la matinée. “J’avais peu d’espoir parce que 30 ans plus tard c’est difficile mais compte tenu de la participation de Mme Olivier aujourd’hui, je me dis que c’est possible de retrouver le corps de Lydie Logé”.L’ex-épouse de Michel Fourniret est repartie durant l’après-midi sur différents sites, s’arrêtant notamment durant quelques minutes dans les carrières de Tinchebray, dans un convoi formé de plusieurs fourgons de la gendarmerie, selon des journalistes de l’AFP sur place.Le convoi est revenu à la gendarmerie d’Argentan vers 18h00.”Sur l’endroit où peut se trouver le corps de Lydie Logé, on n’a pas l’endroit en tant que tel (…) mais Mme Olivier a donné des précisions”, a ajouté Me Delgenes. “Compte tenu de l’endroit décrit, je pense qu’on peut trouver le corps de la victime”.”Ce matin, c’est le troisième jour de déplacement ici dans l’Orne pour essayer de retrouver le corps de Lydie Logé et l’objectif de ce matin, c’était de mettre dans des procès-verbaux (…) toutes les dépositions de Monique Olivier et le résultat des investigations qui avaient été faites jusqu’à présent”, a expliqué Me Delgenes. Depuis mardi, Monique Olivier, 76 ans, a été emmenée sur différents lieux du Calvados et de l’Orne, ainsi qu’au domicile de Lydie Logé à l’époque des faits à Saint-Christophe-le-Jajolet (Orne).Monique Olivier a, selon son avocat, “une mémoire assez précise” de ce qu’il s’est passé il y a plus de 30 ans.”Elle était très volontaire, en tout cas elle a répondu à toutes les questions, la sincérité était là”, a ajouté Me Delgenes, à propos de sa cliente, condamnée deux fois, en 2008 et en 2023, à la réclusion à perpétuité notamment pour complicité dans sept meurtres de jeunes filles au total, dont celui d’Estelle Mouzin. Lydie Logé, mère d’un garçon de sept ans, avait disparu le 18 décembre 1993 à l’âge de 29 ans à Saint-Christophe-le-Jajolet, petit village de 240 habitants peu après avoir fait des courses de Noël avec une amie.- “Le nom de Fourniret” -Alors que deux enquêtes de 1994 à 1998 puis de 2004 à 2009, avaient abouti à des non-lieux, les investigations ont été relancées en 2018 après des rapprochements établis entre les traces ADN issues de composés organiques trouvés dans la camionnette de Michel Fourniret et l’ADN de la mère de Lydie Logé.En janvier 2021, Monique Olivier a été mise en examen pour complicité d’arrestation, d’enlèvement, de détention ou de séquestration arbitraire dans cette enquête.Son ex-mari, surnommé L’Ogre des Ardennes, avait été mis en examen pour enlèvement et séquestration suivis de mort. Il est décédé quelques mois plus tard, en mai 2021.Michel Fourniret avait été condamné en 2008 à la perpétuité incompressible notamment pour sept meurtres de jeunes filles commis entre 1987 et 2001. En 2018, il avait à nouveau écopé de la perpétuité pour l’assassinat de Farida Hammiche.Selon Michel Lerat, le maire de Boischampré, dont Saint-Christophe-le-Jajolet est devenue une commune déléguée, Lydie Logé et sa famille s’étaient installés depuis “quelques mois” dans leur pavillon lorsque la mère de famille avait disparu.Il avait côtoyé la jeune femme, qui lui avait demandé un stage de secrétariat de “trois, quatre semaines” au sein de la communauté de communes. M. Lerat a décrit Lydie Logé comme “vraiment sérieuse”, ponctuelle et “tout à fait agréable”.”Quand le nom de Fourniret est apparu, là, les gens ont pris conscience de ce qui avait dû se passer”, a déclaré l’élu à l’AFP.

Saudi FM says confident of reform under new Lebanon leaders

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, on his country’s first high-level visit to Beirut after years of strained ties, said Thursday that he believed crisis-hit Lebanon’s new leaders could spearhead long-sought reforms.Reeling from years of economic collapse and a destructive Israel-Hezbollah war, Lebanese leaders have pinned hopes on wealthy Gulf states for desperately needed reconstruction funds.The international community has long demanded Lebanon enact reforms to unlock billions of dollars to boost the economy after a financial crisis took hold in 2019 — widely blamed on rampant corruption and mismanagement.”We are greatly confident in the ability of… the president and the prime minister to initiate reforms necessary to bolster Lebanon’s security, stability and unity,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Beirut.Lebanon’s parliament elected Aoun earlier this month, ending a more than two-year vacancy in the post caused by political deadlock. The former military chief is widely believed to have been the preferred choice of Riyadh and the United States.During the meeting, Aoun thanked Saudi Arabia “for the efforts deployed to help Lebanon, especially by bringing an end to the presidential vacuum”, an official statement said.Aoun also said the visit had “brought hope”.Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s largest economy, was a major investor in Lebanon, but ties between the two countries soured for roughly a decade over the growing influence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.- ‘Real action’ -With Hezbollah weakened after its war with Israel and the toppling of its ally, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Prince Faisal’s visit comes with Lebanon seeking a fresh start.Aoun has named former International Court of Justice presiding judge Nawaf Salam as prime minister-designate. Salam has been tasked with forming a government capable of boosting Lebanon’s faltering economy and rebuilding areas devastated by war.Aoun has said his first official overseas trip would be to Saudi Arabia, after de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited him to visit.In his first speech as president, Aoun said the state would have “a monopoly” on bearing weapons, in a country where Hezbollah was the only group to keep its arsenal following the 1975-1990 civil war.Prior to his visit, Prince Faisal called Aoun’s election “extremely positive”, but said the kingdom was waiting for concrete change before engaging further with Beirut.”We will need to see real action. We will need to see real reform. We will need to see a commitment to a Lebanon that is looking to the future, not to the past, in order for us to raise our engagement,” he said.His visit aims to “inform the kingdom’s approach”, he said.In 2021, many Gulf states including Saudi Arabia had recalled diplomats from Beirut over a Lebanese minister’s criticism of the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen.Riyadh had also suspended fruit and vegetable imports from Lebanon in April that year, saying shipments were being used for drug smuggling and accusing Beirut of inaction.In 2017, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced in a televised address from Riyadh that he was stepping down, citing Iran’s “grip” on his country through Hezbollah, amid suspicions he had been placed under house arrest.He later withdrew his resignation.Adding to the tensions, in 2016 Riyadh said it had halted a $3 billion programme for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hezbollah.Prince Faisal’s visit comes ahead of a January 26 deadline to fully implement the fragile truce that ended the recent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Sacklers, Purdue to pay $7.4 bn over opioid crisis

Several US states have reached a $7.4 billion settlement with the Sackler family and their pharmaceutical company Purdue over the opioid crisis that has ravaged the lives of millions of Americans, officials said Thursday.The opioid crisis, which has caused more than 500,000 deaths over 20 years in the United States, has triggered a flurry of lawsuits against drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies from victims and the authorities.Thursday’s settlement, which will see funds routed to communities and individuals affected by opioids, is the largest of several targeting the makers and sellers of the highly addictive drugs.The $7.4 billion settlement was agreed “in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma for their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis,” New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office said in a statement.”The settlement ends the Sacklers’s control of Purdue and ability to sell opioids in the United States and will deliver funding directly to communities across the country over the next 15 years to support opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs. “The $7.4 billion settlement in principle (is) the nation’s largest.”Purdue and other opioid makers and distributors were accused of encouraging free-wheeling prescription of their products through aggressive marketing tactics while hiding how addictive the drugs are.- Litigation avalanche -Facing an avalanche of litigation, in 2021 Purdue pled guilty to three criminal charges over its marketing of OxyContin.The Sacklers have consistently denied wrongdoing over the opioid crisis.The settlement featured some 15 states including New York, Florida and Pennsylvania.”The Sackler family relentlessly pursued profit at the expense of vulnerable patients, and played a critical role in starting and fueling the opioid epidemic,” James said in a statement. “While no amount of money will ever fully repair the damage they caused, this massive influx of funds will bring resources to communities in need so that we can heal.”The settlement includes the eight heirs of the original Purdue founders Raymond and Mortimer Sackler who served on the company board — Richard, Kathe, Mortimer Jr, Ilene, David, and Theresa Sackler.For many people, opioid addiction begins with prescribed pain pills, before they increase their consumption and eventually turn to illicit drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, an extremely powerful synthetic opioid.Opioid victims and their families addressed the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, directly in a US courtroom in March 2022 as part of the company’s bankruptcy case. “We buried Matthew and Kyle because of your family’s vicious acts of disregard for human life,” Liz Fitzgerald said of the deaths of two of her sons, who died at ages 32 and 25 after years of dealing with opioid addictions.”Two boys are gone because of your ‘safe’ medication,” Fitzgerald said.

Alien hunting? Look under sea, says Republican congressman

Is there anybody out there? Yes! says a Republican congressman: the aliens are right under the ocean.US congressional Representative Tim Burchett said in an interview Wednesday that an admiral — whom he did not identify — had told him of an alien craft moving at incredible speeds in the sea.”They tell me something’s moving at hundreds of miles an hour underwater… as large as a football field, underwater,” the Tennessee congressman told disgraced former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who now hosts a show on right-wing news outlet One America News.”This was a documented case and I have an admiral telling me this stuff.”Burchett, known for claims that the US government is hiding existence of UFOs and other alien activity, said anything is possible given “the vastness of God’s great universe.”However, he told Americans not to worry about the suspected extraterrestrials’ extraordinary advances.”I’m not worried about them harming me,” he said. “I mean, with that capabilities, they would have barbecued us a long time ago.”No evidence has been produced of intelligent life beyond Earth.However, Congress has taken an increasingly serious look at reports of mystery flying objects, treating the once widely mocked topic of UFOs — now often dubbed Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena — into a serious issue.In March 2024, the Pentagon released a report that it had no proof of UFOs, saying that many suspicious sightings turned out to be merely weather balloons, spy planes, satellites and other normal activity.The Pentagon rejected claims made at a congressional hearing in 2023 by a former Air Force intelligence officer that the US government had recovered a series of crashed alien craft and even non-human “biologics” over the decades.

Overnight firefight tames new California blaze

Firefighters who battled through the night to tame a new blaze that erupted  near Los Angeles appeared to be making progress on Thursday, even as dangerous fire weather continued throughout Southern California.A massive response involving aircraft, bulldozers and 4,000 personnel had swung into action as flames raced across hillsides in Castaic, 35 miles (56 km) north of Los Angeles.Around 31,000 people were ordered to flee their homes, heaping misery on a region already reeling from the two deadly fires that ripped through America’s second biggest city this month.The newly emerged Hughes Fire continued to grow overnight, and by Thursday had consumed 10,000 acres (4,050 hectares), but its rate of growth had slowed considerably after an explosive first few hours.Firefighters said the blaze was 14 percent contained — an expression of how much of the perimeter they are confident is static.Bryan Lewis of the National Weather Service warned the strong winds that had fanned the flames would continue Thursday, gusting up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) an hour at times.But, he told AFP, there was good news in the forecast.”We’re expecting those winds to drop off…. Then by tomorrow, like late morning, afternoon, the wind should be a lot better.”However, super, super dry conditions persist, with mostly single digit relative humidities across most of the area,” he said describing conditions as “still dangerous.”- Rain -Some much-needed rain at the weekend looked set to bring real relief to a region that has seen no significant precipitation for eight months, with up to half an inch (one centimeter) forecast for much of Los Angeles.”It’s going to help in the near term. But, to really get us out of this fire season, we’re going to need at least a couple more inches,” Lewis said.Human activity, including the unrestricted burning of fossil fuels over decades, has warmed the planet and changed our weather patterns.That has left the wet periods wetter and the dry periods dryer, intensifying storms and making populations more vulnerable to disasters.Over the burn scars left by the horrific Palisades and Eaton Fire, which together consumed 40,000 acres (16,200 hectares) and killed more than two dozen people, officials were readying for possible mudslides and debris flows in the downpour.Workers in Los Angeles County have prepared sandbags, gravel and concrete barriers that can be deployed if the rain gets heavy.California Governor Gavin Newsom said he had prepositioned hundreds of personnel to try to head off problems caused by rain, including collapsing hillsides and poisonous chemicals being washed out of razed homes.”Without vegetation to anchor the soil, heavy rainfall can lead to sudden and fast-moving debris flows, which can destroy homes, block roads, and pose serious risks to life and property,” his office said.”The state also works closely with its partners to prevent toxic runoff from entering waterways by installing physical filtration barriers.”President Donald Trump, who continues to claim falsely that California could solve its water problems by simply turning a spigot, is expected in the region on Friday.Officials say he will meet firefighters and people who have been affected by the blazes.

Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600 bn trade, investment boost

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Thursday to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments as he congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House.Prince Mohammed, de facto leader of the world’s biggest oil exporter, made the pledge in a phone call following Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Saudi state media said.Trump forged close relations with Riyadh in his first term and is now expected to push Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest sites, towards normalising ties with Israel as a major foreign policy objective.”The crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s intention to broaden its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, in the amount of $600 billion, and potentially beyond that,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.It did not give details of the source of the funds, which represent more than half of Saudi GDP, or how they are expected to be used.Prince Mohammed, 39, also passed on congratulations from his father, King Salman, during the call.The White House said it was Trump’s first phone call with a foreign leader since his return to office.”The two leaders discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, bolster regional security, and combat terrorism,” a statement said. “Additionally, they discussed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s international economic ambitions over the next four years as well as trade and other opportunities to increase the (two countries’) mutual prosperity.” Trump’s first visit as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia, and this week he joked that a major financial commitment could persuade him to do the same again.”I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of our product,” he said.Trump quipped he would repeat the visit “if Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another 450 or 500 (billion dollars) — we’ll up it for all the inflation”.During Trump’s first term, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco broke with longstanding Arab policy to recognise Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords.The new Trump administration is expected to try to repeat the process with Saudi Arabia, following similar efforts under president Joe Biden.- Iran threats -Saudi Arabia broke off talks with US officials about ties with Israel early in the Gaza war, and has repeatedly insisted it will not recognise Israel without the existence of a Palestinian state.However, a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza and a possible easing in regional tensions could pave the way for a resumption of dialogue.In exchange for recognising Israel, the Arab world’s richest country hopes to secure a US defence pact and Washington’s help with a civil nuclear programme.In his own call with the crown prince on Thursday, new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and “the threats posed by Iran and its proxies”, according to a statement.”They also discussed the benefits of the US-Saudi economic partnership and the opportunities to grow their economies in a variety of fields including AI,” a spokesperson for Rubio said. Trump actively courted Saudi Arabia, long an important energy and security partner for Washington, during his first term.When he arrived in Riyadh in 2017, he was treated to an elaborate welcome involving a sword dance and a fly-past of air force jets.Relations later cooled with Prince Mohammed faulting Trump for failing to respond more aggressively after a 2019 attack widely blamed on Iran halved the Gulf kingdom’s crude output.Riyadh and Trump’s team nevertheless sought to boost ties after his departure from the White House, in particular through investments and construction deals for his privately owned conglomerate the Trump Organization. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has defended receiving a Saudi investment in his private equity firm that reports put at $2 billion.