The criminal chamber specializing in terrorism cases has ruled on one of the most sensitive cases of the last decade. All defendants involved in the assassination of Tunisian engineer Mohamed Zouari have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The verdict, rendered by default, confirms the terrorist classification of the operation.
Tunisian justice has delivered its verdict in the case of the assassination of Mohamed Zouari. The anti-terrorism criminal chamber of the court of first instance of Tunis pronounced life imprisonment against all the accused. The facts date back to December 2016, when the Tunisian engineer was shot dead in Sfax in a carefully planned operation.
Record cumulative sentences
The specialized court classified all the accused as intentional homicide with premeditation. In addition to the life sentence, each of the eleven defendants received cumulative sentences exceeding one hundred years in prison for other charges, notably linked to terrorist acts and the creation of organized criminal networks.
All the accused were tried in absentia, being currently on the run and outside Tunisian territory.
An operation described as terrorist
The investigation highlighted the structured and transnational nature of the operation which led to the assassination of Mohamed Zouari. The elements of the file mentioned the existence of logistical support and foreign complicity, reinforcing the thesis of a targeted assassination with a terrorist dimension.
Throughout the investigation, several clues also pointed to the alleged involvement of the Israeli Mossad in the execution of the operation, an avenue regularly raised since the first hours of the crime.
Mohamed Zouari, a Tunisian engineer specializing in aeronautics, was shot dead in front of his home in Sfax on December 15, 2016. His assassination caused a national shock wave and sparked strong political and popular reactions, both in Tunisia and abroad.
This verdict closes, on a legal level, a case emblematic of cross-border security threats and targeted assassinations linked to regional conflicts.
