Considered the deadliest attack in France since 1945 with 131 deaths and 400 people injured, the justice system opens today one of the darkest pages in history for a duration of nine months.
Six years after the terrible Bataclan massacre, the victims and relatives of the attack will finally be able to seek justice. During this first day of the hearing, 20 defendants will appear before the special assize court in Paris, with Salah Abdeslam as the main accused. Already judged once in Brussels in April 2018, he will once again face his destiny. Among the 20 accused, several are suspected of having participated in this terrorist operation that claimed the lives of 130 people (even 131, since a Bataclan victim committed suicide a few months after the attack).
Salah Abdeslam
All eyes have turned to him, as he is the only living member of the commandos. Unlike his brother Brahim Abdeslam (who blew himself up in the 11th arrondissement) on the night of the tragedy, the 31-year-old Frenchman abandoned his explosive belt for reasons still unknown. Consciousness or technical problem – that is what his trial will revolve around. A few hours after the end of the operation, Salah Abdeslam fled from Paris to Brussels and initiated a national manhunt with the police lasting four months. After his arrest in the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek (on March 18, 2016), he was then incarcerated in France at Fleury-Mérogis (Essonne) where he was monitored 24/7 and became the most watched man in France.
Who are the 20 accused of the November 13, 2015 attack?
First day of the hearing
“I left all professions to become a fighter for the Islamic State”, were the very first words uttered by Salah Abdeslam within the special assize court. During the hearing, 14 defendants appeared in the dock as well as some survivors of the Bataclan. Following the discomfort of one of the accused, Farid Kharkhach (suspected of helping to prepare the terrorist commandos), the hearing was suspended at 5 p.m. Upon resumption, Salah Abdeslam once again took the opportunity to speak out about detention conditions, saying, “We are men, we are human beings, we have rights! We are treated like dogs”, he announced.
The president of the special assize court Jean-Louis Périès declared himself “that on this day an historic trial will begin”. The continuation of the hearing will resume today at 12:30 p.m.
