DZ Mafia Trial Delivers 25 Years for Ory, Acquittal for Oualane as Fugitive Bara Is Caught in Madrid

Overview

• The special assize court in Aix-en-Provence delivered mixed rulings Tuesday, sentencing Gabriel Ory to 25 years and acquitting Amine Oualane in the 2019 hotel double murder case.
• Judges also gave 25 years to alleged masterminds Karim Harrat and Walid Bara, 25 to gunman Zaineddine Ahamada, and 15 to accomplice Adrien Faure, all below the life terms prosecutors sought.
• Walid Bara, convicted in absentia, was arrested in Madrid hours after Tuesday’s verdict, and French reports say he will now face a new trial on the case.
• Investigators used decrypted chats from an encrypted messaging app to map the plot behind the killings, which the defense called thin and political.
• The three-week hearing ran under heavy security with repeated disruptions, and Ory plans to appeal as related probes and future trials tied to the DZ network continue.