The Sid Ahmed Ghlam case is the alleged 2015 murder of Aurélie Châtelain and the alleged planning of a terror attack against a church inVillejuif by Sid Ahmed Ghlam., the case is under investigation in France and the suspected motive for the terror planning is radical Islamism. Ghlam is denying the accusations.
The case
On 19 April 2015, Aurélie Châtelain, a dance instructor, was found shot dead in her burnt-out car in Villejuif, outside Paris. Sid Ahmed Ghlam, a French-Algerian student, shortly after sought medical help in Paris for gun wounds in one of his arms. His behaviour raised suspicion, leading French authorities to check his car, a Renault Mégane where they found a Kalashnikov rifle, a revolver and a bullet proof vest. In his apartment they found three more Kalashnikovs and another weapon. He was detained at the hospital. Information found in Ghlam’s home and on his telephone led the police to believe he was planning an immediate attack on a church, being instructed by a French-speaking man in Syria. Allegedly, he had a list of further target churches, including the Sacre Coeur in Paris and, the Daily Express claimed, Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in Normandy that was attacked in July 26 2016. Ghlam had according to the police been in Turkey in February the same year, and at the time expressed a wish to go to Syria. He had been warned by police when he returned from Turkey, but had not been considered a serious security risk by the authorities. Some days after the incident, Ghlam was charged with murder, attempted murder, association with criminals with a view to commit crimes against people and other crimes “connected to a terrorist organisation”. Le Monde reported that Ghlam's arrest stopped him from following through on his next targets, which possibly were the two churches of Villejuif and/or the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Ghlam's DNA was found on Châtelain and in the car where she died. The authorities have not identified a clear motive for the alleged murder. Initially, they suggested Ghlam might have tried to steal her car. Another possible motive that has been put forward is that Ghlam might have mistaken her for being an official spying on him. The shots were fired at her from outside the car. Ghlam pleads innocence with regard to the death, saying that she was killed by another person he was with.
