In the trial of the attacks in Paris in 2015, many are relying on the testimony of the only survivor of the terrorist command. The accused remained silent for hours. Then a personal question gets him talking.
Almost seven months after the start, the trial of the Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 with 130 dead is for the first time about the devastating events themselves.
The main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, said on Wednesday that he had intentionally not detonated the explosive belt that had not been detonated for a long time. However, the only survivor of the terrorist command left unanswered questions about the planning and original scope of the terrorist project as well as about his determination and motivation.
Abdeslam is said to have had an explosives belt in Paris but did not detonate it, instead throwing it away in a suburb. It was later found there. “I chose not to fire the belt, not for fear, it was my decision,” said the Frenchman. The fact that he later told those around him that the belt hadn’t worked and that he would be better equipped next time was a lie, Abdeslam said. “I was ashamed of the others.” However, an expert testified in court that the explosive vest was not functional due to several defects.
130 people died
In the series of attacks on November 13, 2015, extremists killed a total of 130 people. Three attackers committed a massacre in the Bataclan concert hall, others attacked bars and restaurants. At the Stade de France, three suicide bombers blew themselves up during an international football match between Germany and France. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the acts that hit France to the core. A total of 20 suspected Islamists have been charged.
Abdeslam initially declared on Wednesday that he would exercise his right to remain silent. The presiding judge nonetheless continued his reconstruction of the attacks based on the investigation and previous information, and asked him unanswered questions for over two hours. A co-prosecutor finally got Abdeslam to break his silence with a very personal question about his fiancee. “Was that a real love story?” she asked. “I really loved her, that’s what I want to say here,” the accused replied.
“What moves a person to make such a decision,” asked the co-plaintiff. “Have you thought about the suffering you will inflict on dozens of couples?” Abdeslam first gave the lawyer an answer to a detail he had promised her information on a previous day of the trial, and then went on to speak about his view of justice.
“Speaking up today won’t change things for me. If you only look at what Islamic State has done and not at what you have done, you will not make a fair judgement.” In an earlier statement, Abdeslam justified the act of terrorism with alleged French attacks in Syria with civilian casualties.
Source: Stern
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