A French court on Monday, February 24, found an Algerian online influencer guilty of inciting terrorism on TikTok, sentencing him to 18 months in jail. The 25-year-old man, identified by officials as Youcef A. and known on social media as Zazou Youssef, had been charged in the western city of Brest with "advocating an act of terrorism" on the platform. Prosecutor Camille Miansoni had recommended a prison sentence of two years for the charge that is punishable by up to seven years.

Youssef appeared in a video posted on the popular platform on December 31 calling for attacks in France and violence in Algeria. The police prefect in France's western Finistere region, Alain Espinasse, ordered a judicial investigation after officers made him aware of the video. According to authorities, Youssef had been living in France on a temporary residency permit and had appealed against a previous sentence for vandalism during riots in 2023. In addition to the jail term, the court said Youssef could not reside in France for 10 years. TikTok has said it banned the account from which the video was uploaded, for posting several videos that broke its rules on hate speech.