French Court Convicts Six Teenagers in Teacher Paty's Beheading Case

Six teenagers have been convicted in connection with the 2020 killing of French teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamist extremist. Five of the defendants, former middle-school students, were found guilty of helping the killer identify and track the teacher, although they were not aware of his intention to kill. The sixth defendant, a girl who was 13 at the time, was convicted of making false allegations against Mr. Paty. The defendants received brief or suspended prison sentences and various obligations. The trial for eight adults charged in the case is expected to be held next year. The killing of Mr. Paty, who showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students to illustrate free speech, continues to haunt France and highlights the threat of Islamic extremism to the country's public school system.