Jewish museum killer on trial for torturing hostages in Syria

Mehdi Nemmouche, a Fench jihadist who was previously convicted for a lethal attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels a decade ago, is currently on trial in Paris for his alleged role in the torture of foreign hostages in Syria in 2013.

Nenmouche, 39, whose trial began on February 17, is accused of imprisoning Western journalists, humanitarian workers and other foreigners under the control of the Islamic State (ISIS) during that period.

In 2014, he murdered four people in less than two minutes in a brutal attack on the Jewish Museum in Belgium.

His attack, fuelled by antisemitic hatred, left an Israeli couple and a French woman dead on the spot. A Belgian museum employee later died from his injuries. Nemmouche was imprisoned for life.

At the start of his new trial, Nemmouche denied any involvement in the torture of Western hostages.

He claimed in court, "I was never the jailer of western hostages, nor any other and I never met these people in Syria. I was only a frontline soldier in the jihadist struggle against the regime of [recently ousted Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad."

But former captives have firmly identified him as one of their tormentors, particularly after his image was published in the press following his arrest in May 2014, just days after the Brussels attack.

This court sketch created on February 17, 2025, shows defendants and lawyers during the trial (Image: Getty)AFP via Getty Images

Among those identifying Nemmouche is French journalist Nicolas Hénin, who, along with his colleagues Didier François, Édouard Elias, and Pierre Torres, was captured by ISIS in June 2013.

Hénin recalled during Nemmouche’s 2019 trial for the Jewish Museum murders, “Mehdi Nemmouche is the man called Abou Omar whom we knew in Syria."

They were held for nearly a year in a Syrian prison, where they faced constant threats of execution and physical abuse. According to Hénin, "Every evening, the blows would start … the torture went on all night, until the dawn prayers."

The captives described the chilling behaviour of their captor, who, when not torturing them, would reportedly sing French pop songs, imitate comedians and act out television quiz shows to amuse himself at the expense of the prisoners, according to The Times.

The former hostages also detailed ongoing psychological abuse. Nemmouche allegedly threatened to slit their throats, and in one particularly disturbing tactic, he left the body of a dead man outside their cell door to instil fear, the newspaper added.

Two of the prisoners Nemmouche is alleged to have guarded were British aid worker David Haines and American journalist James Foley, both of whom were later beheaded by ISIS after mock trials.

In response to the allegations, Nemmouche's lawyer, Francis Vuillemin, has promised that his client will speak fully in the Paris court, although he did not offer any further details. "He is very calm. He is not risking anything because he knows he is in prison for life and will die there," Vuillemin stated.

The trial also involves two other alleged jailers, Abdelmalek Tanem and Kais Al-Abdallah, who are accused of assisting Nemmouche in abducting and torturing the hostages. Both men, like Nemmouche, face the prospect of life imprisonment if convicted.

Hénin, François and their fellow survivors are resolute in their fight for justice, emphasising that they will not allow their captors to go unpunished. Hénin expressed his determination in the courtroom, stating, “I want to hear them. The truth must come out. I will fight in the courtroom to make them understand they lost.”