France, Feb. 17 -- A landmark trial opens Monday at a Paris court in which five men standaccused of Islamic State kidnappings in Syria more than 10 years ago, when seven Western hostages were taken, including four French journalists.

Among the accused is FrenchmanMehdi Nemmouche, who is currently serving a life sentence for the deadly attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels in 2014.

The trial- expected to last until 21 March - will revisit a period in which foreign journalists and humanitarian workers were targeted by the Islamic Stategroup.

The defendants, two of whom are presumed dead, stand accused of the kidnap and torture, in connection with a terrorist organisation, ofFrench journalists Didier Francois, Edouard Elias, Nicolas Hen...