France warns Belgium over potential early release of Paris attacks logistician Mohamed Bakkali

French ministerial intervention

On Monday, September 21, 2026, French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin sent a formal letter to his Belgian counterpart, Annelies Verlinden, warning against the potential early conditional release of Mohamed Bakkali. Bakkali, a Belgian national, served as the logistical coordinator for the November 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people across the Stade de France, street terraces, and the Bataclan concert hall. The French minister noted that granting early freedom would be perceived in France as an affront to the pain of the victims. A Brussels sentence enforcement court will convene on September 29, 2026, to examine Bakkali's application for a sentence adjustment, which could place him under electronic monitoring. Darmanin urged Belgian authorities to facilitate victim participation at the upcoming hearing through remote access tools.

“It is important to do everything possible so that the victims can attend the hearing on September 29, in particular through the installation of a videoconference system.”

Sentencing history in France

In June 2022, a Paris assize court sentenced Bakkali to 30 years of criminal imprisonment with a mandatory two-thirds safety period for renting safe houses and providing vehicles to the attack commandos. He had previously received a 25-year prison term for his role in the failed August 21, 2015 Thalys train attack between Brussels and Paris. In September 2022, the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor merged both convictions to meet the legal maximum ceiling of 30 years. Under standard French sentencing rules, Bakkali, who has been detained since late November 2015, would not have been eligible to request conditional release before the 2030s. Following his Paris trial, authorities transferred Bakkali to Belgium to serve his term, subjecting his detention to Belgian sentence enforcement legislation.

Belgian detention regime

Currently detained at the Ittre prison, Bakkali became eligible for electronic surveillance under Belgian law in August 2023. The Belgian sentence enforcement tribunal has granted him short prison leaves of 36 hours each since July 2025, explaining that the convict made efforts to establish contact with victims whom he had already met. In his letter, Darmanin contested any prospect of release after eleven years behind bars, describing it as contrary to both the text and the intent of French court rulings. The Belgian public prosecution opposes any conditional release measures for Bakkali during this procedure.

“Like the victims, we cannot help but be struck that Mr. Bakkali, after only eleven years of incarceration, could be released from detention.”

Cross-border legal friction

Darmanin argued that the discrepancy between the French verdict and Belgian execution rules exposes structural issues in cross-border judicial cooperation. The French minister proposed revising European Union rules governing the mutual recognition of judicial decisions between member states to prevent similar situations. Victims of the Paris attacks publicly voiced their opposition to the potential release during the third week of September 2026. The sentence enforcement court in Brussels will assess Bakkali's conditional release request and make its formal determination following the September 29, 2026 hearing.

November 13 attacks conviction (June 2022)30

Thalys train attack conviction25

Merged statutory maximum (September 2022)30

November 13 attacks conviction (June 2022)

30 years

Thalys train attack conviction

25 years

Merged statutory maximum (September 2022)

30 years

Data from the article text