Pizzeria boss fined for giving UK tabloid Paris attacks footage

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May 30, 2017 6:58 PM

The manager, Dimitri Mohamadi, was found guilty of "divulging security images to an unauthorised person", among other charges.

130 people were killed in the Paris attacks in November 2015

A French court on Tuesday ordered the manager of a Paris pizzeria to pay fines and damages totalling 20,000 euros ($22,400) for providing footage of the November 2015 terror attacks to a British tabloid.

Just five days after the attacks that killed 130 people across the French capital, Britain's Daily Mail showed gut-wrenching images of terrified customers at Cosa Nostra pizzeria diving for cover as bullets whizzed through the air.

None of the diners inside lost their lives as an Islamic State jihadist raked the premises with gunfire, although five people perished in the street outside.

The manager, Dimitri Mohamadi, was found guilty of "divulging security images to an unauthorised person", among other charges.

Several sources said the Daily Mail had paid Mohamadi 50,000 euros for the footage, and French television channel Canal+ aired secretly filmed footage of the negotiation taking place.

Mohamadi had denied making any money from the footage, but one of the co-defendants admitted to receiving 6,000 euros.

Two young men and a young woman pressed charges in the case after recognising themselves in the images. They were present for Tuesday's verdict but declined comment afterwards.

Mohamadi was ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 euros, while he and two co-defendants were jointly ordered to pay 6,000 euros to each of five civil plaintiffs -- 5,000 euros for pain and suffering and 1,000 for court costs.

The co-defendants were also given fines -- 5,000 euros for one and a 1,500 euro suspended fine for the other.

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