The jury in the 'Carlos the Jackal' murder trial is expected to announce its verdict on Tuesday evening.

Carlos, whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, is accused of murdering two French secret service agents and his former accomplice, Michel Moukharbal, in Paris in 1975.

The BBC's Hugh Schofield reports (Dur: 33")

The three men were shot with a Soviet or Czech-made automatic pistol at a range of less than 50-centimetres (20 inches).

In final speeches on the seventh day of the trial the prosector, Gino Necchi, said: "The nature of the punishment must be equal to the crime."

"The Jackal": awaiting a verdict

The accused, who was born in Venezuela, made a silent handclap as Monsieur Necchi finished his speech to the jury, which comprises nine members of the public and three judges.

Ramirez was convicted in absentia for the killings in 1992, but French law dictates a retrial is necessary once a suspect is arrested. He faces a maximum 30 years prison sentence.

Once described as the world's most wanted terrorist, he was linked to a series of attacks across Europe.

Sanchez was captured in Khartoum, Sudan, on August 14, 1994, and transferred to Paris by French agents.

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