France: Bouchra Bagour goes on trial for 9/11 T-shirt

Bouchra Bagour has gone on trial in southern France for sending her 3-year-old son to nursery school wearing a T-shirt reading “I am a bomb” and “Born on September 11”.

Bouchra Bagour, 35, was reported to police by the teacher last September, and charged with “glorifying crime”.

At the start of her trial in Avignon, Bouchra Bagour denied defending terrorism.

Bouchra Bagour’s brother – who gave the T-shirt to her three-year-old son named Jihad – is a co-defendant in the case and also denies the charge.

The T-shirt, which the boy wore to school in Sorgues near Avignon on September 24, read “I am a bomb” on the front and “Jihad, born on September 11” on the back.

On Wednesday Bouchra Bagour told the court she had put it on him “without stopping to think about it”.

She insisted it was not meant as a provocation and stressed that her son had been born on September 11.

Zeyad Bagour said he had never sought to defend any cause by buying the T-shirt.

“It’s the day his birth I wanted to highlight, not the year,” he told the court.

The prosecution argued that the defendants had shown no regret.

“Who can claim that this is not an direct and scandalous allusion to terrorism?” a prosecutor asked.

He called for a fine of 1,000 euros ($1,300) against Bouchra Bagour and 3,000 euros for her brother.

The trail has been adjourned until next month.