A Brussels court has granted Mohamed Bakkali, a convicted terrorist involved in the murderous 2015 Paris attacks, temporary release from prison.
According to the Belgian outlet La Libre, Bakkali is permitted six periods of leave from his cell of up to 36 hours each in duration. The judiciary justified a decision, citing his good behaviour. While the public prosecutor’s office strongly opposed these furloughs, it was reportedly denied the opportunity to appeal.
Bakkali, who helped plan the Paris atrocity and arranged accommodation for the perpetrators, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2022. He also received a 25-year sentence for a foiled separate railway attack.
After conviction in France, he was transferred to Belgium, his country of citizenship.
The Belgian justice system allows inmates to apply for temporary release after serving just one-third of their sentence, significantly earlier than the two-thirds requirement in France. Expected to be permanently released in 2040, Bakkali has already received five previous furloughs since last July.
The court’s decision has sparked political outrage, with Belgian Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie-affiliated politician Sophie De Wit calling it difficult to understand given the prosecutor’s explicit warnings.
