Bataclan massacre: The trial of Islamic State fighters accused of mass murder in Paris is coming to an end | World News

The trial of 20 men accused of carrying out one of the worst peacetime terrors in Europe is expected to end in Paris late Wednesday.

The men, all suspected of being Islamic State terrorists, are charged with killing 130 people and wounding hundreds more in coordination attacks on November 13, 2015.

Within minutes of each, they detonated bombs at the Stade de France, the venue for the Bataclan concert, and opened fire on diners at restaurants across the French capital.

Fourteen people are on trial, six others in absentia, presumed dead or missing while fighting for IS in Syria.

A special security court was built for the 10-month trial, the largest trial in modern French history.

The five judges heard evidence from more than 2000 witnesses, including more than a million pages of evidence, 300 lawyers and testimony from European counter-terrorism officers.

The main suspect is Salah Abdeslamthe only surviving members of the group who carried out the attacks – the rest are accused of helping to plot the attacks.

Abdeslam’s brother, Brahim, was also involved in the attacks but blew himself up the night after shooting dead young Parisians drinking and eating in a cafe.

The suspect changed his mind because ‘people are not afraid’

At the start of his trial in November 2021, Abdeslam, 32, challenged his claim to be an “Islamic State fighter” but in recent weeks, as the trial ended, he has asked for pardon. stuff and claims he did it on purpose. dispose of coffins to prevent more deaths.

“I went into the cafe, ordered a drink, looked at the people around me and said to myself ‘no, I’m not going to do that,'” he told the court.

“I changed my mind for humanity, not fear.”

On Monday, as the trial ended, he tried to apologize to the victims, insisting he was not the killer.

However, French police and the prosecution’s attorney said his suicide belt was found defective and this provides a more likely reason why he did not detonate it.

Abdeslam, a French national who grew up in Belgium and has Moroccan roots, was on the run for four months but was eventually discovered hiding in the Molenbeek district of Brussels, close to his family’s home.

He faces life in prison if convicted.

A close friend of Abdeslam and the defendant’s colleague, Mohamed Abrini, allegedly provided weapons and logistical support.

Abrini was also involved in the Brussels suicide bombings in 2016 but says he regrets his involvement now.

“I’ve come face to face with victims, I know what happened is disgusting,” he told the court.

‘They started spraying bullets everywhere’

Relatives of those killed, and witnesses of the attacks, have sat through months searching for evidence in the hopes of finally finding the truth and justice.

One of them, Arthur Denouveaux, survived the attack on the Bataclan theater and told Sky News that the process helped him.

“Testing in court and hearing all the testimonies from all the victims is very helpful because I see I’m not alone, which I know, but somehow openly differ from it,” he said.

“Then that was broadcast all over France. And maybe around the world, and it was a powerful message about how hard we were but still struggling.

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“In my memory, when the terrorists came in, there was a lot of shooting and then a long period of silence before they fired again.

“And that doesn’t seem to match anything I’ve read about it. But it’s true. They started spraying bullets all over the place.”

“He [Abdeslam] Feeling very apologetic, but I think he is blaming himself. He’s mad at himself for getting into that, and or going into it without going all the way and into the center where he’ll end up in jail for the rest of his life. “