DR ‹ › On Friday, the Special Assize Court of Bobigny outlined the reasoning behind the verdict delivered two days earlier in the case concerning the murders of Tidiane and Sofiane, who were killed in a shooting in September 2020 in Saint-Ouen. The five defendants were found guilty of murder and attempted murder as part of an organized gang, as well as criminal conspiracy. On September 14, 2020, gunfire erupted in a basement of the Soubise housing project. Sofiane, 25, and Tidiane, 17, were killed. Reda, 16, was shot in the thigh but survived. The court concluded that the intent to kill extended to all those present, including the survivor, stating that «the layout of the premises and the sequence of events left no doubt as to the homicidal intent». A few weeks later, on October 3, a second shooting took place in the Ampère neighborhood, leaving six people injured. Judges determined that the motive was the same in both cases: score-settling linked to drug trafficking, carried out by a structured criminal group. According to the court, the organization operated hierarchically and was directed from Morocco by El Mehdi Zouhairi, described as the mastermind. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years. His absence from the trial was interpreted by the court as «a sign of impunity». Twin brothers Jérémy and Samuel Youmbi, accused of handling recruitment and supplying weapons, were each sentenced to 30 years in prison, with a two-thirds security period. The alleged shooters, Yves-André Noël and Saad-Eddine El Ammouri, received sentences of 24 and 30 years, respectively. Additional penalties — including bans from holding public office, weapons prohibitions, and exclusion from the Île-de-France region — were imposed on all defendants. Several have indicated their intention to appeal.
