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Gonzalo Fuentes /Reuters
Said Hicheur (center), father of Franco-Algerian nuclear physician Adlene Hicheur, and Halim (right), Adlene's brother, outside the Paris courthouse Friday.
PARIS -- A French court sentenced an Algerian-born nuclear physicist to five years in prison Friday for his role in plotting terrorism with al-Qaida's north African wing.
Adlene Hicheur, a former researcher at Switzerland's CERN laboratory, was convicted of "criminal association with a view to plotting terrorist attacks."
Hicheur, who has been behind bars since he was arrested in October 2009, could have received up to 10 years in prison.
The 35-year-old scientist and his defenders say he was a victim of allegedly overzealous French anti-terrorism laws and that he explored ideas on jihadist websites but never took any concrete step toward terrorism.
Speaking after the judgment, Hicheur's lawyer called the verdict "scandalous."
Lawyer Patrick Baudouin said Hicheur hasn't decided whether to appeal the verdict. If he does not, with time off for good behavior, his client "should be out rather quickly," he added.
Didn't want to be a suicide bomber
The case centered on about 35 emails between Hicheur and an alleged contact within al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb named Mustapha Debchi, who tried to convince him to carry out a suicide bombing.
Hicheur declined, but in one response suggested striking at the barracks of a battalion of elite Alpine troops in the eastern town of Cran-Gevrier.
Hicheur claimed he was on morphine for a herniated disk and going through a personal "zone of turbulence" when he wrote a 2009 email that advocated an attack on the barracks.
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Prosecutor Guillaume Portenseigne rejected Hicheur's claims of a lack of lucidity and characterized the defendant as "a man who had everything going for him ... but just got led astray in a radical jihadist Islam."
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At the two-day trial in March, the prosecutor called Hicheur "a budding terrorist" who only needed a "determining meeting" to slip into concrete action.
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Hicheur's lawyer argued that "everything has been done to demonize" his client, "to make him into ... France's most dangerous terrorist, potentially susceptible to participate in a bombing."
Hicheur's defenders said recent terror attacks in France did not help his case.
In an apparently unrelated case in March, a young man also of Algerian descent killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers in the cities of Toulouse and Montauban and claimed ties to al-Qaida. Mohamed Merah, 23, died later in a shootout with police.
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Leave a Comment:
They should have given him at least 25 years behind bars. What a f... moron...
Oh yeah, and who believes this crap? Should have put his a$$ in prison for much longer. Plotting against other people is not a joke.
Cern (nuclear physics- the big bang theory etc.)research institute is located in Cern,Switzerland. While on sick leave he exchanged 'electric mail' (internet messages) with a known AQ-Maghreb member. Adlene Hicheur's messages were explicit-he sugggested different terror attacks in Europe/specific targets, most of them in France. He was not under morhpine for his backproblems- he was on painkillers. He also was a teacher in Lausanne's Swiss Technological Institute. He is a French citizen- but his criminal terror planning was demonstrable by his 35 'electric post/mail' sent to AQ/Maghreb known terrorist and he corresponded with said terrorist- not a one time affair. Sentence was light (5 yrs/1 yr for time served)- the reason why sentence so light- Adlene Hicheur never met the AQ/Maghreb known terrorist in person and the terrorism crimes occurred in Switzerland where he was a nuclear physicist.
Islamic extremists have gone backwards beyond repair. Most of them have become liabilities to the societies and nation they live in.
Even education does not help them.
Here Pakis are the worst.
This guy is a moron, he changed nerd-making-good-money for wannabe-terrorist-going-to-jail-with-no-nuclear-field-job-possibility in the future.
So he admits to plotting to blow up some barracks with people in them, but blames it on a 'herniated disk'?
Gee, that's almost as creative as the 'Twinkee Defense' in San Francisco several decades ago.
Just for the sake of argument, let's say he was 100% dedicated to actually carrying out some kind of terrorist attack against the general public or that alpine battalion that was mentioned in the article. If that was actually the case, why would he only get 5 years and what happens after his release? Do they throw him out of France so he can work on terrorist plots in another country?
It's also worth pointing out that if he wasn't angry at the government of France before, he probably is now....way to stop terrorism guys.
The French Flag has not changed since WWII....It's still White!!
The 35-year-old scientist and his defenders say he was a victim of allegedly overzealous French anti-terrorism laws and that he explored ideas on jihadist websites but never took any concrete step toward terrorism. he explored ideas on jihadist websites but never took any concrete step toward terrorism.
The case centered on about 35 emails between Hicheur and an alleged contact within al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb named Mustapha Debchi, who tried to convince him to carry out a suicide bombing.
Poor guy, just a curious man trying to understand the motivations of those over-religious people across the Mediterranean Sea and pinned as an extremist by those racist French secret services because of his origins!
Seriously, when are we going to stop kidding ourselves?
You just need to read these two lines to judge this guy; no normal person would send e-mails to Al-Qaeda in Northern Africa and pretend it was curiosity!
Curiosity-- pah!
Poor guy, getting mixed up in this stuff without doing anything. It's to bad, hoefully he can get out sooner, my heart goes out to him. One of those terroist witch hunts.
Did you bump your head? How many fingers am I holding up?
The first blunder is to permit these nut cases from Muslim nations.
They ruin their nations and then try to sneak in using different excuses. They come with lots of baggages and stick to them.
They start all over what they did in their nations.
When it comes to punishing we have to face these sorts of silly excuses.
Best way to avoid all problems including wasting monies is not to permit them under any excuses. Also those who are not happy should go back to their Muslim nations.
Chris would you rather have the terrorist still working with nuclear power an Emailing Al Qaida?
If he has not build a weapon for them, and one has not gone off somewhere then no crime has been committed. I'm just saying wait until a crime happens and then bring him up on charges. No, I did not bump my head, and I have no idea how many fingers you are holding up right now, just hope its not just one right in the center.
CHRIS:
SHUT UP and GO AWAY!!!!!! By the way MORON, it's built, not build a weapon!!!!!!
Well SORRY, people around here are so picky, it's like you have to go back and make sure you did not make any mistakes in a post or they are so quick at name calling. I am free to have my own opions, sorry you don't agree.
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
Evil minds do evil deeds. While we have a legal system that punishes bad behavior, Benjamin Franklin said "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". We need to do some serious examination of sociopaths and their rights to engage in cognitive destruction and the unsuspecting public right to life.
Fairly light sentence, but the Europeans are not known for dealing out very harsh punishment. Now surely, either the CIA or Mossad can make a little "accident" happen when he is incarcerated. Then, we won't have to worry about what he's going to do when he gets out. and Chirs150, why don't you go and volunteer at an animal rescue shelter. God knows those dogs and cats deserve more compassion than that a**h*le does.
You don't know the best of it, the guy has been incarcerated for 2.5 years now, waiting his trial. So he will probably be able to make that count in his sentence and has a good chance of being out in probation in a few weeks! I heard it on the French tv.
The Europeans are not known to deliver harsh punishment indeed.....
France and the rest of Europe is going to have to decide if they are willing to live with the daily threat of dhimmitude or annihilation. This debate has been going on for years within Europe and now the liberals there are beginning to question their own liberal views toward Muslims. The truth has come out about the agenda of Islam.This truth has been supported by the Quran and the actions of Muslims throughout the world. Moderate Muslims refuse to shut down and betray their Muslim brothers so they also will be eventually removed from western countries. It is going to get real ugly because the Muslims will not leave and they will fight to take over all the new land they were given access to. This has been repeated over and over again in history. If a culture wishes to survive then it must only allow migration of groups that are respectful of that countries customs religions etc.
All religions with the exception of Islam have been able to coexist peacefully in contemporary societies. Islam has not been able to do this. Islam is a separatist religion and should remain separate and Muslims should not migrate to other countries. Democracy and Islam are not compatible.
Most of the Muslims in non-Muslim nations are liabilities. Their contributions are negative.
You can't appease extremist Muslims or for that matter any extremist section.
Don't permit them in and kick out those who are in!
Hey Jonathan From what I have researched separation is the best option to protect western civilians.
Hey fight for freedom: Also battle them in the source to minmise losses. All non-Muslims should join hands for quick victory.
Terrorism and France's issues with Middle Eastern immigrants aside, the guy was a particle physicist, not a nuclear physicist. Very different fields. Way to be a pro, MSNBC.
It's a shame to keep such a treacherous man alive. They may live to regret it later.