Overview

• The prosecution has requested a life sentence with a 22-year minimum security period for Mehdi Nemmouche, citing his cruelty and danger to society.
• Former hostages identified Nemmouche as their jailer through his voice and behavior, recounting severe psychological and physical abuse during their captivity.
• Nemmouche denies the charges, claiming he was only a combatant for ISIS and not involved in the kidnapping or abuse of hostages.
• The trial highlights the systematic targeting of journalists and aid workers by ISIS in Syria between 2012 and 2014, with many subjected to extreme violence.
• Nemmouche is already serving a life sentence for the 2014 Jewish Museum attack in Brussels, where he killed four people.