Zaheer Mahmood Sentenced to 30 Years for Attempted Murder
A Paris court has sentenced Pakistani national Zaheer Mahmood to 30 years in prison for attempting to murder two people outside the former offices of Charlie Hebdo in 2020.
Mahmood believed that the satirical newspaper was still located at the site, which had been targeted years earlier for publishing controversial cartoons. However, Charlie Hebdo had relocated following a deadly 2015 attack by Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen.
Mahmood, who illegally entered France in 2019, was convicted of attempted murder and terrorist conspiracy. He will also be banned from entering France once he serves his sentence.
His defense claimed that Mahmood felt deeply disconnected from France due to his rural upbringing in Pakistan, where blasphemy laws carry the death penalty. Five other Pakistani men, some of whom were minors at the time, were also tried for their roles in supporting Mahmood’s actions.
The victims of the attack, both of whom were present at the sentencing, have not forgiven Mahmood.
