The trial of a French ISIS fighter accused of overseeing executions in Syria and leading a squadron of foreign fighters whose members went on to commit the 2015 terror attacks in Paris has begun in the French capital.
Tyler Vilus, who has become known as one of the most senior French Islamist extremists for the role he played in Syria from 2013 to 2015, is accused of associating with terrorists, leading a terror organisation and of committing organised murder.
His trial is the first in France of a former ISIS fighter over crimes committed in Syria.
French authorities suspect the 30-year-old man of being a member of the notorious ISIS morality police in Syria, for which he oversaw executions, as well as directing the Katiba Al Mouhajirine, a foreign brigade of French and Belgian fighters.
The group, which comprised roughly 40 men, included in its ranks three members of the ISIS cell that carried out the November 13 terror attacks in Paris in 2015: Abdelhamid Abaaoud, Samy Amimour and Ismail Mostefai.
The Mouhajirine group is accused of torturing and executing members of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s army as well as members of the Free Syrian Army.
Mr Vilus has admitted to being in touch with Abaaoud who masterminded the 2015 attacks.
According to French newspaper Le Monde, speaking in court, Mr Vilus admitted he had fought with ISIS in Syria but claimed his role in the terror group had been overblown.
"We are not going to lie to each other: yes, I was engaged in jihad, yes, I participated in Islamic State … But I am given a role in Syria that I did not have,” he said.
Born in Troyes, 140km south-east of Paris, Mr Vilus converted to Islam in 2011 before travelling to Tunisia where he joined a conservative mosque. He told the court 90 per cent of the men who worshipped there had travelled to Syria.
Mr Vilus first went to Syria in 2012 and then decided to settle in the war-torn nation in 2013, saying it was his intention to fight against the Syrian regime in Damascus.
Though he denies supervising executions as a member of ISIS religious police, footage released by the terror group’s propaganda arm in 2015 has shown a man alleged to be Mr Vilus standing nearby as a rebel fighter and a Syrian army soldier are shot in the head.
Similarly, a 2014 video has shown Abaaoud and the other members of the Mouhajirine who were allegedly commanded by Mr Vilus as they desecrated a number of corpses in the Aleppo region before burying them in a mass grave.
Mr Vilus’s mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2017 after she travelled to Syria three times to visit her son. Given the moniker Mamie Jihad in the French press, Mr Vilus wrote to his mother in 2013 to confirm he had become the head of the Mouhajirine brigade.
Mr Vilus was arrested in Istanbul in July 2015 while attempting to travel on a Swiss passport. He was later deported to France.
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
MADAME%20WEB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20S.J.%20Clarkson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Dakota%20Johnson%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%2C%20Sydney%20Sweeney%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Pakistan squad
Sarfraz (c), Zaman, Imam, Masood, Azam, Malik, Asif, Sohail, Shadab, Nawaz, Ashraf, Hasan, Amir, Junaid, Shinwari and Afridi
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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