Paris court examines high-profile terrorism appeal linked to Islamic State

In 2025, Kaïs Al-Abdallah was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the Islamic State terrorist group. Syrian nationals said he was sent to Europe to teach jihadists how to make bombs — he denies affiliation with the group. PARIS (CN) — On Tuesday afternoon in the Specially Composed Assize Court in Paris, where golden floral moldings cover the ceiling and chandeliers illuminate a pastel mural, the room fell silent as videos of torture inflicted by the Islamic State, known as IS, played on five flatscreen TVs.This was in Aleppo, Syria, in a building where Western hostages were centralized in 2013. The footage showed beatings in white, hospital-like hallways while victims’ arms were pinned up. A French intelligence expert — who was not named, but identified by a number to maintain anonymity — played the videos as part of a larger presentation about the treatment of hostages under IS.On Tuesday, several members of the country’s intelligence service testified as experts in the appeal of Kaïs Al-Abdallah, a Syrian national who was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in 2025 for terrorist criminal conspiracy.Five defendants were on trial for various terrorism charges and their involvement in the kidnapping of journalists Didier François, Edouard Elias, Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres, who were held captive in Syria between June 2013 and April 2014. All were found guilty; 43-year-old Al-Abdallah maintains his innocence, and is the only defendant appealing the convictions.The murky details riddled in Al-Abdallah’s story have sparked intrigue.In 2015 during the migration crisis, he arrived in Germany and enrolled at the Georg-August University of Göttingen to study chemistry. But in the months that followed, Syrian refugees told police that he was really “Abu Hamza the Chemist,” a high-ranking member of IS sent to teach European jihadists how to make bombs.During the 2025 trial, when questioned over why he had bomb-making documents his computer, he said that his uncle had asked him to pass it along to a family member. He also denied having any involvement in IS despite a trail of suggestive comments and photos on social media.The story inspired the film “Ghost Trail,” which was released in 2024.Now, the court said the “only charge to be adjudicated” on appeal concerns participation in a group formed for the purpose of preparing a terrorist offense, and specifically, crimes against individuals — “namely, kidnapping and false imprisonment committed by an organized gang in connection with a terrorist enterprise against Nicolas Henin and Pierre Torres” through membership of IS.On Tuesday, Al-Abdallah wore a black fleece, headphones and a blank expression as he listened to the hearings through an interpreter. He, specifically, wasn’t the center of the discussion; for hours, the experts delivered detailed context on the evolution of jihadism from 1979 onward, investigation methods and inner workings of IS’s kidnapping network.Maps of Syria with red pins marked the locations of the 24 hostages who were taken by IS between 2012 and 2014. One expert said that the masterminds of the kidnappings — known as “The Beatles” for their English accents — wanted to model the detention centers after Guantanamo.Torture was physical and psychological; hostages could be waterboarded, denied bathroom access for up to 24 hours or forced to participate in mock executions.When one intelligence expert played video footage of the execution of American journalist James Foley on Aug. 19, 2014, Al-Abdallah furrowed his brow and kept his eyes on the ground.The court is expected to deliver its verdict on Oct. 13.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads