The only survivor of the terrorist squad, the main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, was found guilty of terrorism and murder. He received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This is the end of a mammoth procedure that lasted a good nine months.
In the terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015, extremists killed a total of 130 people and injured 350 others. They massacred the Bataclan concert hall and shelled bars and restaurants in the east of the French capital. Three suicide bombers also blew themselves up that evening during an international football match between Germany and France at the Stade de France. The terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Abdeslam as a key figure
The sentencing began more than three hours later than originally announced. The sentence will also be announced later in the evening. Abdeslam received the most attention in the trial. The public prosecutor sees the 32-year-old Frenchman as a key figure in the attacks. With a view to possible later prison reductions, the defense demanded that Abdeslam not be given a “slow death penalty”. He has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium and is currently in prison in France under special conditions.
Of the other 19 accused men, six were tried in absentia. One suspect is in custody in Turkey, five are said to have died in Syria. Among other things, the accused are said to have obtained papers, driven Abdeslam out of the country or acted as a failed assassin. Some are also accused of only occasionally doing assignments.
Attack on the French way of life
The attacks changed French society forever. Many saw them as an attack on the French way of life. After the night of terror, nobody seemed safe anymore. The public prosecutor’s office was also convinced during the trial that the extremists didn’t care who they killed.
In addition to personal cuts in the health, work, family and social life of those affected, the terror series also has an impact on public life: more police officers and soldiers can be seen on the streets. Because terror is no longer just organized from abroad, but is also based on internal forces, experts see the danger of a further split in a society that is drifting apart anyway.
Source: Nachrichten
