An Algerian jihadist who planted a bomb outside a Lyon bakery in 2019 that wounded 15, including a 10-year-old girl, has now been handed a life sentence without parole. The convicted man, Mohamed Medjdoub, used his last day of his trial in Paris to break his silence to say he “has no regrets.”
Medjdoub delivered a jihadist diatribe to a shocked courtroom, saying: “All the objectives have been achieved… My conscience is clear… As a Muslim, Arab and especially Algerian, I have no moral lessons to receive from the French.”
The 29-year-old accused man was expected to perhaps deliver a message of repentance. Instead, he told the court that he “has no regrets.”
The man presented an icy attitude throughout the trial, which a psychiatrist connected to the trial stated that Medjdoub featured “contemptuous condescension.” The Algerian, who refused to even confirm his identity, is believed to have a deep ideological radicalism and rejects European norms and institutions.
On May 24, 2019, Medjdoub planted a homemade bomb outside a Lyon bakery made of TATP, a popular explosive material for jihadists, which was enclosed in a potato chip tube and filed with 270 metal projectiles. When the device exploded, those projectiles ripped through a crowd of people in the area, injuring 15, including a 10-year-old girl.
Medjdoub made statements to the police after he was apprehended, stating he wanted to promote the election of the National Rally for the European elections, which were to take place two days later. His reasoning was that with their victory, it would raise tensions between Muslims and nationalists, which would lead to a civil war. In other words, he was an accelerationist, who wanted to an open conflict.
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"Immigration has transformed our countries… if we don’t get our act together, historians will be looking for a long time to find out why such great and powerful peoples let themselves die without reacting."
– French MEP @knafo_sarah pic.twitter.com/SOQ2Rr3YX7
The fact that nobody died was pure coincidence, and according to police, his intention was not solely to wound. He said that “the operation was a complete success.”
Psychiatrist Daniel Zagury described the man’s “total adherence” to radical Islam and his absolute contempt for non-believers.
Pauline Ragot, who belongs to the National Federation of Victims of Attacks, told France 3 Rhône-Alpes team that she had never come across someone like him.
“He clearly indicated that he would not hesitate, at the first opportunity, to commit another attack, or as soon as he had the chance, behead a Frenchman and cut him into a thousand pieces,” she said.
Medjdoub is also described as “narcissistic” and believed that he could influence election results through his actions, according to Ragot. He told police: “You caught me thanks to me and you’ll see, I can do much worse.”
While the man may feature some traits associated with narcissism, there is no doubt that rising terrorism and crime from France’s foreign community have led to a surge in support for the National Rally. In fact, Marine Le Pen was the frontrunner in the polls to win the 2027 presidential election before the courts banned her under the pretext of “misuse of EU funds” in order to remove her from national elections in 2027.
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) April 1, 2025
Le Pen isn't backing down.
"I will always stand by the French. Millions of French people believe in me, millions of French people have confidence in me."
"I’ve been fighting injustice for 30 years. So I’m going to keep doing it, and I’m going to do it all the way." pic.twitter.com/XzApzueAqw
Apparently, the Medjdoub family, which arrived in France in 2015, is also highly divided over the case. Some have turned away from the terror suspect, with the mother devastated and unsure how he became so radicalized. However, the sister still does not believe that her brother actually committed any action. Others also remain in denial over the case, according to France Info.
BREAKING:
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 19, 20243 Algerian migrants have been arrested for gang raping a Polish mother in the French city of Gap.
The 3 men were under deportation orders and raped the 42-year-old Polish citizen in the apartment they were squatting.
Full story: https://t.co/WSp6wJjOUP pic.twitter.com/Ar5f92gmuo
