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Paris Terror Trial Opens in 2020 Romans-sur-Isère Stabbings Case

Judges will weigh clashing psychiatric reports that could decide whether the Sudanese defendant is criminally responsible.

Overview

  • Abdallah Osman Ahmed, 38, is being tried for assassinations and attempted terrorist assassinations over a 4 April 2020 knife attack that killed two people and injured five.
  • The case is before a specially composed assize court of five professional judges without lay jurors, with hearings scheduled through 7 November.
  • Investigators say his phone contained jihadist propaganda and that he posted writings tied to radical Islam the day before the attack.
  • Three psychiatric assessments diverge, with two finding an alteration of judgment and one concluding abolition, outcomes that could mean a 30‑year cap or criminal irresponsibility.
  • Magistrates highlight uprooting, isolation and the first COVID‑19 lockdown as contributing factors, while the accused reports hallucinations and memory gaps.