Yesterday, after more than a month of debates to reach a verdict, Michael Chiolo has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an irreducible security period. This decision follows the attack he carried out on March 5, 2019 at the Condé-sur-Sarthe penitentiary center, where he and his partner, armed with ceramic knives, seriously injured two guards in a family living unit before hiding for nearly ten hours. The RAID intervention put an end to the hostage situation, killing his partner and injuring Chiolo.
Already sentenced to 30 years in prison for a previous crime, Chiolo had become radicalized in detention and claimed responsibility for the attack in the name of the Islamic State. During his trial, he fully admitted the facts, without expressing remorse. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office requested a life sentence, emphasizing the dangerousness of the accused and the gravity of the act. Other defendants in this case were also convicted, including Abdelaziz Fahd, who was found to be an accomplice and sentenced to life imprisonment with a 30-year mandatory period.
Following this conviction, Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of Justice, welcomed this decision, declaring on X:
"The perpetrators of the knife attack against prison officers at Condé-sur-Sarthe prison in 2018 were very severely sentenced by the courts. One of them was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Those who attack our courageous prison officers should know that they will be systematically prosecuted and sentenced."
