A Belgian court has approved prison leave for Mohamed Bakkali, the convicted terrorist logistics coordinator directly tied to the November 2015 Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people at the Bataclan.
Bakkali, 39, is serving his sentence at Ittre prison in Walloon Brabant after being convicted in France over his role supporting the ISIS terror network behind the attacks. Belgian outlet La Capitale reported he had already received five day-release permissions since July 2025, and the Brussels Sentence Enforcement Court has now authorized six prison leaves lasting up to 36 hours each.
Bakkali, a Moroccan-Belgian national, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France in June 2022 after the massive V13 terrorism trial, a 9-month proceeding that arrested several figureheads and participants in coordinated terror attacks by Daesh-linked groups. Prosecutors said he rented safe houses in Belgium and handled logistical support for members of the terror cell involved in the attacks and later the March 2016 Brussels bombings.
On May 11, the Brussels Sentence Enforcement Court granted Bakkali’s request for prison leave despite prosecutors' recommendations against it. The court reportedly said he had behaved “calmly and respectfully” in prison and had made enough efforts to secure housing and employment.
The court also said there was no indication he would harass victims. Bakkali has reportedly met with some victims as part of rehabilitation efforts.
Belgian law allows inmates to seek conditional release and temporary leave after serving one-third of a sentence. Bakkali reportedly became eligible for conditional release in February 2024. His projected release date remains 2040. N-VA MP Sophie De Wit criticized the decision, calling it “difficult to comprehend” given the negative advice from prosecutors.
“Cases of this caliber are not about the standard enforcement of sentences, but about a very concrete assessment of the risk to society. When the public prosecutor’s office itself issues a negative recommendation, serious alarm bells should certainly be ringing,” she said.
Vlaams Belang MP Alexander Van Hoecke also condemned the ruling: “This concerns a terrorist and a mass murderer. If the justice system cannot manage to punish someone like this in the harshest possible way and permanently remove him from our society, what trust can we still have in justice and the government?” he said.
Bakkali, 39, is serving his sentence at Ittre prison in Walloon Brabant after being convicted in France over his role supporting the ISIS terror network behind the attacks. Belgian outlet La Capitale reported he had already received five day-release permissions since July 2025, and the Brussels Sentence Enforcement Court has now authorized six prison leaves lasting up to 36 hours each.
Bakkali, a Moroccan-Belgian national, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in France in June 2022 after the massive V13 terrorism trial, a 9-month proceeding that arrested several figureheads and participants in coordinated terror attacks by Daesh-linked groups. Prosecutors said he rented safe houses in Belgium and handled logistical support for members of the terror cell involved in the attacks and later the March 2016 Brussels bombings.
On May 11, the Brussels Sentence Enforcement Court granted Bakkali’s request for prison leave despite prosecutors' recommendations against it. The court reportedly said he had behaved “calmly and respectfully” in prison and had made enough efforts to secure housing and employment.
The court also said there was no indication he would harass victims. Bakkali has reportedly met with some victims as part of rehabilitation efforts.
Belgian law allows inmates to seek conditional release and temporary leave after serving one-third of a sentence. Bakkali reportedly became eligible for conditional release in February 2024. His projected release date remains 2040. N-VA MP Sophie De Wit criticized the decision, calling it “difficult to comprehend” given the negative advice from prosecutors.
“Cases of this caliber are not about the standard enforcement of sentences, but about a very concrete assessment of the risk to society. When the public prosecutor’s office itself issues a negative recommendation, serious alarm bells should certainly be ringing,” she said.
Vlaams Belang MP Alexander Van Hoecke also condemned the ruling: “This concerns a terrorist and a mass murderer. If the justice system cannot manage to punish someone like this in the harshest possible way and permanently remove him from our society, what trust can we still have in justice and the government?” he said.
