French prosecutors on Monday, December 16, dropped charges of "complicity in terrorist murder" against two men on trial for their role in the beheading of a school teacher. Prosecutors told the court that Naïm Boudaoud, 22, and Azim Epsirkhanov, 23, a Russian of Chechen origin, should still be found guilty of "membership in a terrorist organisation" for which they face up to 30 years in prison.

Teacher Samuel Paty was killed in October 2020 by an Islamic radical who died in a shootout with police. Boudaoud and Epsirkhanov were friends with the 18-year-old attacker, Abdoullakh Anzorov, who beheaded Paty after the teacher showed cartoons of Islamic prophet Mohammed in a class.

Prosecutor Marine Valentin said in closing statement that the accused had been "fully aware" of Anzorov's "jihadist convictions" when they gave logistical support, including to buy weapons. But Valentin added that there was no absolute certainty that they had meant to participate in the preparation of terrorist murder, she said.