Terror attack on Charlie Hebdo. Wikipedia

French police nets top terror suspect

The jihadist Peter Chérif, the possible sponsor of the attack against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, is in the hands of the French police.

Published: December 21, 2018, 8:32 am

    Paris

    The jihadist, a friend of the notorious terrorist Kouachi brothers, is suspected of being the brain behind the Charlie Hebdo attack. He is in the hands of the French police, Marianne reported on Thursday.

    It is a huge catch for French security services. The French jihadist Peter Chérif, has been on the run since 2011, but a French police source confirmed on Thursday, December 20, that the suspect was apprehended in Djibouti.

    Chérif, a friend of the Kouachi brothers, also known as Abu Hamza, is currently being extradited to France.

    He is one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. A member of the jihadist cell of Buttes-Chaumont in the late 1990s, he is suspected of being one of the sponsors of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

    The magazine has been the target of at least two terrorist attacks, in 2011 and 2015. Both were presumed to be in response to a number of controversial Muhammad cartoons it published. In the second of these attacks, 12 people were killed, including publishing director Charb and several other prominent cartoonists.

    On 7 January 2015, two Islamist gunmen identified as Saïd Kouachi and Chérif Kouachi, shouted “Allahu akbar” and “the Prophet is avenged” during the shooting.

    At 36, the jihadist CV of Chérif is already particularly alarming. A former juvenile delinquent, he fought in Iraq in the early 2000s. But before being arrested, he escaped.

    Because he was not detained during his trial, he escaped on the last day of his hearing, in January 2011, and headed for Yemen. He joined the ranks of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQPA) where Saïd Kouachi joined him.

    The police suspect him of being one of the sponsors, even the main brain behind the Charlie Hebdo murders, and also of having also been in contact with Amedy Coulibaly, author of another terror attack.

    One particular detail has been intriguing the investigators: Peter Chérif followed a formation of heavy truck driver in Dammartin-en-Goële, just next to the printing press where the Kouachi brothers took refuge. The jihadist will now be questioned.

    Consider donating to support our work

    Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.

    Keep ​your language polite​. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in​,​ for example​, ​Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.

    If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violation​s​ of​ any​ law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.

    If your comments are subject to preview ​by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.

    We reserve the right to del​ete​ comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.

    No comments.

    By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.

    Europe

    Firewall Imposed by Mainstream German Parties Against AfD Crumbles

    The German opposition party, the AfD, made history on Sunday: for the first time, it achieved almost 44 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, becoming by far the strongest political party; it narrowly missed an absolute majority.

    Climate Propaganda Tanks: Two-thirds Are Disbelievers

    The climate change narrative is losing its grip in Germany, once home of the most ardent believers.

    Berlin Ditches German Opera for Afrofuturism

    The Deutsche Oper in Berlin may still bear that name – but opera is a thing of the past.

    With Nordenskiöld Through the Northeast Passage

    In April, 1880, Stockholm's streets were filled with people cheering when a three-masted ship sailed into the harbour.

    Will Coalition of Ukraine Supporters Crumble without Macron?

    ParisMore than four and a half years after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the coalition of the "willing" is showing cracks.

    Norwegian Police: Do Not Share Burglar Footage Without Criminals’ Consent

    In a controversial advisory that has sparked widespread public frustration, Norwegian police have urged residents not to share video recordings from their private security cameras that capture burglaries in progress.

    Italian Politics Sees Rise of New Right-Wing Force and Shifting Alliances

    Italian politics is witnessing rapid realignments, with a new right-wing party gaining momentum in just a few months and pro-Russia sentiments appearing to strengthen on both ends of the political spectrum.

    Czech Republic’s First Afro Politician Released Early After Rape Convictions ‘Changes’ Him

    With his Afro hairstyle and anti-racist message, Dominik Feri was predicted to become a political star who would shape the future of both the Czech Republic and Europe.

    Zelensky and Budanov’s New Population Exchange Plan: Solve Ukraine’s Demographic Collapse with Migrants

    Indians, Pakistanis and Africans are to replace the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men who have died at the front. In Kiev, liberalization is now being prepared to solve the labor crisis through immigration of a Western European nature – although corruption and the reluctance of migrants to stay in the war-torn country are still slowing down the population exchange.

    The Double Standards of the European Commission

    On June 26, 2026, in the midst of a historic heatwave hitting Europe, the European Commission headquarters in Brussels (Berlaymont) sent out a chilling internal message to its employees

    Go to archive