Iraqi authorities condemn the 7th Frenchman to death for Islamic State membership

A Baghdad court sentenced a Frenchman to death on Wednesday for joining the Islamic State group, bringing to seven the number of French jihadists on death row in Iraq.

Yassin Sakkam was among 12 French citizens transferred to Iraqi authorities in January by a US-backed force fighting the jihadist group in Syria.

“I admit to having sworn allegiance” to IS, he told the court, saying he was paid $70 (R1009.26) a month.

He added that he regretted his decision to join the group, and asked to be pardoned.

Sakkam, now 29, left France in late 2014 to fight for IS, posting online pictures of himself carrying arms and speaking to multiple media outlets about IS.

He became one of the most notorious jihadists in France, which has been seeking his arrest since 2016. Kurdish authorities detained him in Syria in 2017.

Source: Sowetan Live