Possible early release of Bakkali, 13-November logistics coordinator: Darmanin alerts Verlinden
The French Justice Minister has written to his Belgian counterpart to oppose a possible early release of Mohamed Bakkali, sentenced to 30 years for the Paris attacks.
Darmanin opposes release of 13-November attacks logistics coordinator
A possible early release in Belgium of Mohamed Bakkali "would be experienced in France as an affront to the pain of the victims," warned French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday in a letter addressed to Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden. According to rtl.be, a hearing before the Belgian sentencing enforcement court (TAP) is scheduled for 29 September.
Mohamed Bakkali, a Belgian national, was sentenced in June 2022 in Paris to 30 years imprisonment with a custodial period of two-thirds for his role as "logistics coordinator" in the 13 November 2015 attacks. He is considered the logistical mastermind of the attacks: he notably provided safe houses and vehicles to those who carried out the attacks.
He was also sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for his role in the failed attack on a Thalys train between Brussels and Paris on 21 August 2015. In September 2022, the French national counter-terrorism prosecutor brought both sentences to the maximum legal limit of 30 years.
Following his convictions in France, Bakkali was transferred to Belgium, which now subjects him to Belgian legislation on the execution of sentences. Currently held in Ittre prison, he has obtained several temporary releases since July 2025. The TAP also granted him several 36-hour prison furloughs on the grounds that he had made considerable efforts to restore contact with the victims, whom he has already met.
Under the Belgian judicial system, Bakkali is now eligible for a sentence adjustment, which he must apply for to the TAP. The hearing is scheduled for 29 September.
"Like the victims, we can only be struck that Mr Bakkali, after only eleven years in prison, could be released from detention," Darmanin wrote to Verlinden, arguing that "such a decision is the complete opposite of both the letter and the spirit of the decisions of the French assise courts".
The French Keeper of the Seals also requests that "everything be done" to allow victims to attend the 29 September hearing, notably through the implementation of a video conference system. He also proposes "to change the rules that led to this unacceptable situation", in particular those relating to the mutual recognition of European judicial decisions.
The Brussels prosecution, for its part, opposes any measure of conditional release or electronic monitoring at this stage. Its opinion remains non-binding: it has no right of appeal in this case.
Source: Google News BE FR