Sentenced to 30 years in prison, jihadist Tyler Vilus has escaped life imprisonment

A sketch of the court made on June 25, 2020 at the Paris courthouse shows the French jihadist also called "the emir" of the Islamic State Tyler Vilus speaking during the opening of his trial. BENOIT PEYRUCQ / AFP

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The jihadist Tyler Vilus, convicted of murders in an organized gang, escapes life. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for several crimes, including the execution in 2015 of two ISIS opponents in Syria.

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He is the first French jihadist to be tried for crimes committed abroad. Sentenced to 30 years in prison , with a two-thirds security period, Tyler Vilus therefore escapes life. He was on trial for several crimes in Syria between 2013 and 2015, including the execution of two opponents of the Islamic State.

The court "  decided not to order  " the maximum sentence, saying that it wanted to "  give him a glimmer of hope  " to allow him "  to evolve  ". Incarcerated 5 years ago, he will therefore be able to apply for a sentence adjustment in 2035, at the age of 45.

An emir of the Islamic State

A relative leniency which is explained by an admission made during the hearing. He admitted that when he was arrested in Istanbul in 2015, he returned to Europe well to die there with weapons in hand. Indication that he had always denied. For its part, the court considered that it had shown its will to find the surface. An approach which will take time, but which must not be annihilated.

Tyler Vilnus is by far the most important member of the terrorist organization to appear in Paris. Recruiter, propagandist, police, combatant ... He held all the roles within the Islamic State. A commitment that he compared during the hearing to a snorkeling from which you do not climb.

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