Prosecutors want Le Pen tried over tweet

NANTERRE, France: Prosecutors have called for French far-right leader Marine Le Pen to be tried for tweeting pictures of atrocities committed by the Islamic State group, judicial sources said.

This could hike further pressure on Le Pen, 50, who already faces legal problems over alleged misuse of EU parliamentary funds.

Le Pen shared the gruesome images in December 2015, a few weeks after IS jihadists killed 130 people in attacks in Paris. Her move sparking widespread condemnation in France.

Prosecutors demanded that another member of her National Rally party, Gilbert Collard, also be tried on similar charges.

It will be up to an investigative magistrate to decide whether a trial takes place, with a conviction for “circulating violent pictures liable to be seen by children” carrying a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros (US$85,000).

Le Pen, who lost to Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 presidential elections, was stripped of her parliamentary immunity over the pictures and charged with circulating violent messages.

Last year, she expressed outrage after the investigative magistrate called for her to undergo psychiatric tests in connection with her tweeting.

Le Pen shared the images after a French journalist drew a comparison between the jihadist group and her party.