Overview

Peter Cherif is a U.S.-designated French foreign fighter with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Cherif has been imprisoned in Iraq, Syria, and France on terrorism charges, including at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2005.Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm. On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of State designated Cherif as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for his role in terror attacks intended to threaten the safety of the United States and its citizens. Cherif was arrested in Djibouti in December 2018 and extradited to France, where he was charged with criminal association with a terrorist enterprise.Rory Mulholland, “Islamist suspected of helping organise 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack handed terror charges,” Telegraph (London), December 24, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/24/islamist-suspected-helping-organise-2015-charlie-hebdo-attack/. On October 3, 2024, a Paris Special Criminal Court sentenced Cherif to life imprisonment. “French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence,” Le Monde (Paris), October 3, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/03/french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attacks-receives-life-sentence_6728120_105.html.

Cherif was born to a Tunisian mother and a Catholic Afro-Caribbean father who died when Cherif was a teenager. He grew up in France and was known as a class clown in school.Tracy McNicoll and Christopher Dickey, “Paris Jihadis Were ‘All Molotov Cocktails,’” Daily Beast, January 10, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/10/paris-jihadis-were-all-molotov-cocktails.html; Sebastian Rotella, “A Couple Divided By Faith,” Los Angeles Times, August 8, 2006, http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/08/world/fg-juliet8. As a teenager, Cherif ran into legal trouble relating to drugs and armed robbery.http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html.He went on to join the army until he was injured in 2002.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html. He converted to Islam in 2003“Five years jail for Frenchman arrested in Iraq,” Radio France Internationale, March 10, 2011, http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20110310-french-man-arrested-iraq-sentenced-5-years-prison. and reportedly radicalized under the influence of Farid Benyettou, a 22-year-old radical imam in Buttes- Chaumont, France. Three other disciples of Benyettou went on to become suicide bombers in Iraq.Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm. Cherif became more religious while attending Benyettou’s makeshift mosque. He stopped listening to music and watching movies, activities prohibited by strict Islamic law. He began wearing traditional Islamic clothing and ended his intimate relationship with his girlfriend.Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm.

Early into his radicalization, Cherif began carrying out a series of antisemitic attacks. In 2003, Cherif and several Benyettou disciples vandalized Jewish restaurants with rocks and Molotov cocktails. They also assaulted a Jewish man on the street, breaking his nose.Sebastian Rotella, “Europe’s Revolving-Door Prisons Compound Growing Terror Threat,” Pro Publica, June 23, 2015, https://www.propublica.org/article/europes-revolving-door-prisons-compound-growing-terror-threat.

Sometime during or after 2003, Cherif joined a cell of jihadists in northeastern Paris. The “Buttes-Chaumont” cell was named after a park in Paris where cell members trained. The cell produced notorious jihadists including Chérif Kouachi, one of the perpetrators of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre, and Boubaker El Hakim, a jihadist recruiter who facilitated the travel of Frengh fighters to Iraq.Benjamin Dodman, “Paris trial grills ‘repentant’ jihadist who mentored Charlie Hebdo killers,” France 24, October 5, 2020, https://www.france24.com/en/20201005-paris-trial-grills-repentant-jihadist-who-mentored-charlie-hebdo-killers. Cherif reportedly introduced Kouachi to Benyettou, according to French judicial records.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html. French investigators disbanded the Buttes-Chaumont cell in 2005 after discovering the cell’s signature pipeline of sending French Muslims and immigrants to fight against American interests in Iraq.Jim Yardley, “Jihadism Born in a Paris Park and Fueled in the Prison Yard,” New York Times, January 11, 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/world/europe/jihadism-born-in-a-paris-park-and-fueled-in-the-prison-yard.html. In May 2004, Cherif told his family he was going to spend a few months studying in Syria. By that November, he had crossed into Iraq to fight with ISIS forerunner al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm.

By December 2004, American forces had captured Cherif in Fallujah and subsequently transferred to Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.Kim Willsher, “Charlie Hebdo suspect arrested in Djibouti,” Guardian (London), December 21, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/charlie-hebdo-suspect-arrested-in-djibouti; Peter Taylor, “Radicalising Europe’s young Muslims,” BBC News, September 1, 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/5301512.stm. In 2006, an Iraqi court sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment for illegally crossing the border into Iraq.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm. Cherif escaped in March 2007 during an insurgent attack on the prison.“Peter Cherif,” United Nations, accessed November 13, 2024, https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/individual/peter-cherif. He traveled to Syria, where he surrendered to French authorities in early 2008 due to fears that he would be captured by Syrian forces.Kim Willsher, “Charlie Hebdo suspect arrested in Djibouti,” Guardian (London), December 21, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/charlie-hebdo-suspect-arrested-in-djibouti. Cherif claimed he had given up on terrorism.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html.

French authorities shortly afterward extradited Cherif and he spent 18 months in a French prison before he was released on bail pending trial. In 2011, Cherif escaped to Yemen where he began fighting for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The French court sentenced him in absentia to five years in prison for belonging to a terrorist organization.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm; “French extremist admits role in kidnapping of aid workers in Yemen,” Agence France Presse, September 24, 2024, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572642/middle-east. While in Yemen in the summer of 2011, Cherif reportedly met with fellow Benyettou devotees Salim Benghalem and Chérif Kouachi. During the meeting, the trio reportedly discussed attacks on U.S. targets in France, as well as on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. According to U.S. and French intelligence, Cherif provided Kouachi with cash and al-Qaeda training.Sebastian Rotella, “How France Let the Charlie Hebdo Killers Go Free,” Daily Beast, June 4, 2015, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/04/how-france-let-the-charlie-hebdo-killers-go-free.html.

In 2015, the U.S. government alleged that Cherif was in Yemen, but a French newspaper reported he was in Syria.Elsa Buchanan, “Isis: Who is on the US most-wanted jihadists list?,” International Business Times, October 1, 2015, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-who-are-us-most-wanted-jihadists-list-1522031. The Wall Street Journal reported Cherif made his living trafficking counterfeit goods.David Gauthier-Villars, “France Identifies Security Gaps, but Fixing Them Proves Challenging,” Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/france-identifies-security-gaps-but-fixing-them-proves-challenging-1426881960. On September 29, 2015, the U.S. Department of State designated Cherif as a SDGT for his role in terror activities intended to undermine U.S. security.“Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters,” U.S. Department of State, September 29, 2015, https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247433.htm. Authorities in Djibouti arrested Cherif on December 21, 2018. He was subsequently extradited to France and taken into custody by local authorities on December 23, 2018.Rory Mulholland, “Islamist suspected of helping organise 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack handed terror charges,” Telegraph (London), December 24, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/24/islamist-suspected-helping-organise-2015-charlie-hebdo-attack/. While in detention in October 2020, Cherif served as a witness during the trial over the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, which killed 12. According to Cherif, he had “nothing to do” with the massacre.“French extremist admits role in kidnapping of aid workers in Yemen,” Agence France Presse, September 24, 2024, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572642/middle-east; Yannick Haenel and Francois Boucq, “God Exists: He’s Running a Garage in Belgium,” Charlie Hebdo (Paris), October 28, 2020, https://charliehebdo.fr/2020/10/english/god-exists-hes-running-a-garage-in-belgium/.

On September 16, 2024, Cherif appeared at the Paris Special Criminal Court for terrorism-related offenses between 2011 and 2018.“French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attackers stands trial for terrorism-related offences,” France 24, September 19, 2024, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240916-french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attackers-goes-on-trial. During the trial, investigators further probed into Cherif’s association with the Kouachi brothers. Cherif was reportedly a childhood friend of the duo and had maintained regular communication with the pair until the January 2015 Paris attack. Although Cherif did not face charges for the attack, Cherif reportedly trained Cherif Kouachi while both were fighting for AQAP in Yemen sometime between 2011 and 2015.“French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence,” Le Monde (Paris), October 3, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/03/french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attacks-receives-life-sentence_6728120_105.html. According to media sources, the Kouachi brothers received significant weapons training from AQAP, including lessons in bombmaking.Michael Martinez, Jethro Mullen and Josh Levs, “Who are suspects in two violent French standoffs?,” CNN, January 10, 2015, https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/08/europe/paris-charlie-hebdo-shooting-suspects/index.html.

During the trial, Cherif also admitted to his role in the May 2011 abduction of three French aid workers in Seiyun, Yemen. Cherif had served as the translator for AQAP officers who were unable to communicate with the French- and English-speaking hostages. After spending several months in desert caves, the aid workers were released in November 2011.“French extremist admits role in kidnapping of aid workers in Yemen,” Agence France Presse, September 24, 2024, https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572642/middle-east; “Abducted French aid workers in al Qaeda hands,” France 24, July 24, 2011, https://www.france24.com/en/20110727-abducted-french-aid-workers-held-yemeni-al-qaeda-militants.

On October 3, 2024, Cherif was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years to be served.“French jihadist linked to Charlie Hebdo attacks receives life sentence,” Le Monde (Paris), October 3, 2024, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/police-and-justice/article/2024/10/03/french-jihadist-linked-to-charlie-hebdo-attacks-receives-life-sentence_6728120_105.html.

Also Known As

• Abou HamzaKim Willsher, “Charlie Hebdo suspect arrested in Djibouti,” Guardian (London), December 21, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/21/charlie-hebdo-suspect-arrested-in-djibouti.
• Abu Hamza Cheraf“In the Matter of the Designation of Peter Cherif, Also Known as Peter Cheraf, Also Known as Abu Hamza Cheraf, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as Amended,” U.S. Federal Register, September 30, 2015, https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/30/2015-24899/in-the-matter-of-the-designation-of-peter-cherif-also-known-as-peter-cheraf-also-known-as-abu-hamza.
• Peter Cheraf“In the Matter of the Designation of Peter Cherif, Also Known as Peter Cheraf, Also Known as Abu Hamza Cheraf, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Pursuant to Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, as Amended,” U.S. Federal Register, September 30, 2015, https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/09/30/2015-24899/in-the-matter-of-the-designation-of-peter-cherif-also-known-as-peter-cheraf-also-known-as-abu-hamza.