- Tyler Vilus was arrested in July 2015 in Turkey while traveling with the passport of a Swede.
- Her mother, nicknamed "Mamie Jihad", was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having visited Syria several times and for having encouraged the departure of several young women.
- Investigating judges have long sought to determine the involvement of Tyler Vilus in the November 13 attacks.
The scene is hardly sustainable. Two men on their knees, dressed in orange overalls, coldly shot in the head in front of a small crowd of spectators in the front row, including some children. This double murder, the video of which was broadcast in the spring of 2015 on the Islamic State group’s propaganda channel, took place in Syria but quickly attracted the attention of French authorities. Because in the background, among the jihadists who supervise the execution, is a man well known to the intelligence services: Tyler Vilus, a Trojan considered as a pioneer of jihad. This Thursday, he will be the first French to appear before the special assize court in Paris for murders committed "in the area". Also tried for "leading a terrorist group", he faces life imprisonment.
Tyler Vilus, 30, was arrested on July 2, 2015 at Istanbul airport while trying to travel to Prague, Czech Republic, with the passport of a Swedish man. He vaguely resembles him - half-breed, short hair, brown eyes - but not enough to deceive the vigilance of Turkish customs officials. It must be said that this convert is among the most sought-after Frenchmen of the moment. After failing to integrate the Foreign Legion, he left in 2011 to join a jihadist group in Tunisia. The following year, he made his first trip to Syria before settling there in March 2013.
"The French put me at the head of a group"
He first stood out for his proselytism on social networks. On his Facebook page, he claims his affiliation with the terrorist organization, relays propaganda videos and calls on his readers to commit violent actions in France. Quickly, Tyler Vilus became a figure of the “immigrant brigade”, the one through which many of the terrorists in the Paris and Brussels attacks passed. He first officiated in the Islamic police before rising in rank and leading a group of fighters.
If throughout the investigation, he has continued to minimize his involvement, the investigators have unearthed nearly 4,000 messages exchanged with his mother. "In addition to being a cop, the French put me at the head of a group, I became an emir," he said in August 2013. "I knew you would go up, you are made for that. […]. Bravo my son, you manage to manage everything, ”replies the latter, herself well known to the justice system. Christine Rivière, nicknamed "Mamie Jihad", was sentenced on appeal to ten years in prison for having visited Syria three times and for having contributed to the departure of several young women. Asked at her trial about the meaning of her message, the 50-year-old explained that she was referring to the personality of her son. "He always has people around him, he has always federated. As for her choice to die a martyr, she had made a reason for it. "It didn't make me happy, but that's what he wanted. "
Long suspected of being the 11th man in the November 13 attacks
If Tyler Vilus is referred to the Assize Court for his criminal activities in Syria, the examining magistrates have long suspected - without ever succeeding in establishing it formally - of being the 11th man in the November 13 attacks . In July 2015, when he has just been arrested, he manages to keep his cell phone for almost a month. "I delete your number and the others so they don't find anything." They're not going to lock me up indefinitely, it doesn't change anything. When I go out, I act, ”he wrote to one of his contacts, the very day of his arrest. According to France Inter, after lengthy investigations, the investigators believe that this number belongs to Abdelhamid Abaaoud who led the November attacks. If he does not hide having met him, like other members of the commando, Tyler Vilus disputes his involvement. Throughout the investigation, he will not stop repeating that during his arrest, he left Syria to go to Mauritania in order to freely exercise his faith.
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- Terrorist attacks in Paris
- Daesh
- Murder
- Terrorism
- Justice
- Paris
- Syria