Man gets 30 years in prison for helping gunman in 2018 Strasbourg terror attack

A former security guard has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for helping a gunman procure the weapon used in a terrorist attack at a French Christmas market in 2018.

At least five people were killed and 11 others sustained injuries after 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, armed with a gun and a knife, went on a killing spree at the market in Strasbourg.

A French court on Thursday found Audrey Mondjehi, 42, guilty of terrorism-related charges, including helping the accused find a weapon for the terror attack. However, the court was told that the Ivory Coast origin man did not know the purpose of acquiring the weapon.

Mondjehi and Chekatt, who had a long criminal record with over 20 convictions, were former prison cell mates and shared a good relationship, the court was told.

"I think deeply and feel a lot of sadness for all the victims. All my life I will regret what happened," Mondjehi told the court in his final statement.

"I would never have thought that he would have done that, I never thought that he [Chekatt], was radicalised," he said, according to The Guardian.

Mondjehi met Chekatt in prison and years later, Chekatt had asked him to help procure a weapon, the court was told.

Convicting Mondjehi, the judge said he was found guilty because of his “very close” relation to Chekatt and that he “knew of his violent radicalism”.

Mondjehi’s lawyers argued that he should not have been convicted under terrorism charges as the defendant was unaware of Chekatt’s plans.

Mondjehi was one of four defendants who went under trial before a special court in Paris on 29 February. Two other men were handed shorter sentences for assisting Chekatt, while the fourth man was acquitted.

Arnaud Friedrich, a lawyer representing some of the victims' kin, said it was a "key moment" for his bereaved families.

“The theory of a lone wolf has been discarded. The court has recognised that the principal accused could not have been unaware of Chekatt’s terrorist project and provided him with vital help," he told AFP news agency.

Chekatt was killed in the Neudorf district of Strasbourg two days after the shooting following what police described as a counter-terror operation.

Chekatt was on France’s S-list of potential security threats. He was described by police as a “delinquent” with close to 30 prior convictions, who had served prison sentences not just in France, but also in Germany and Switzerland.

He is alleged to have yelled “god is great” in Arabic before opening fire from a security zone near the Christmas market.