France
Verdicts expected in Paris terror attack trial
Rescue workers treat the victims in front of a café in the 10th district. Photo: Jacques Brinon/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
In a devastating series of terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, extremists killed 130 people and injured 350 others. Judgments are now to be made in a trial.
More than six and a half years after the attacks of November 13, 2015 in Paris that killed 130, the mammoth trial of the night of terror is coming to an end.
The specially assembled court of assizes wants to make the verdicts on Wednesday in the Palais de Justice in Paris. The announcement was initially delayed in the afternoon and was expected in the early evening. The public prosecutor had demanded prison sentences of between five years and life for the 20 accused. The main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, who is believed to be the only survivor of the terror squad at the time, is to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of a reduction in his sentence.
Sole survivor of the terrorist squad
The trial had rolled out the series of attacks of November 13, 2015 since the fall. In the attacks, extremists killed 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.
Arguably the sole survivor of the terror squad, Abdeslam attracted much of the attention in the trial. The public prosecutor saw the 32-year-old Frenchman as a key figure in the attacks and spoke of the immense seriousness of his actions. He has the blood of all the victims on his conscience and almost on his hands, it said in the public prosecutor’s plea. The defense demanded that Abdeslam not be given a “slow death penalty” with a view to possible later reductions in his sentence. The accused has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium for shooting at the police and is currently in prison in France under special conditions.
Process lasted more than nine months
Six of the other 19 accused 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 failed assassins. Some are also accused of only playing a minor role and doing occasional assignments. In addition to the prison sentences, the public prosecutor’s office demanded at least a temporary ban on residence in France for many of them.
The process, which lasted more than nine months, was eagerly awaited in France. The attacks shocked and upset French society for a long time. Many saw them as an attack on the French way of life. In contrast to previous attacks, which were directed against certain professional groups or denominations, after the night of terror no one seemed safe. The public prosecutor’s office was also convinced during the trial that the extremists didn’t care who they killed.
In addition to the personal cuts in health, work, family and social life of those affected, the terror series is still having an impact on public life: more police officers and soldiers can be seen on the streets. And because terror is no longer only 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.
Frustrated survivors and loved ones
Many French people hoped that the trial would provide answers from the accused and, in some cases, from politicians as well. However, there was no significant gain in knowledge. The main defendant, Abdeslam, repeatedly relativized his responsibility, blamed the deadly attacks and the suffering caused on French politics and glorified IS. According to prosecutors, his attitude left no room for regret or guilt.
This must have been frustrating and disappointing, especially for survivors and their families. For weeks, hundreds of them relived the night of terror in the courtroom specially built for the trial and reported physical and mental wounds that many still felt clearly more than six years after the attacks. It remains to be seen whether the verdicts for the 20 accused will be able to help the bereaved in their personal work-up. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the process at least managed to recognize the victims and their respective fates.