A jihadist network originating in Réunion has been heavily punished by the justice system.

The special assize court in Paris sentenced four men involved in a jihadist network that transported fighters from Réunion to Syria between 2014 and 2019. The sentences handed down range from 19 to 20 years of criminal imprisonment for these men, aged 30 to 41, prosecuted for their participation in several terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Anthony de Monjoie Maurice, the only defendant present at the hearing, was sentenced to 19 years in prison. He was accused, among other things, of participating in operations on behalf of jihadist groups in Syria. His sentence includes post-release supervision, a period of ineligibility for public office, and his registration on the list of perpetrators of terrorist offenses.

Three convictions handed down in their absence

The three other defendants, presumed dead according to the court, were tried in absentia. Each received a 20-year prison sentence, was placed on the list of perpetrators of terrorist offenses, and an arrest warrant was issued against them.

The verdict is broadly in line with the prosecution's requests. Investigators dismantled this network in 2015, the first identified in an overseas department, after establishing that its members had become radicalized in Réunion before joining armed groups in Syria.