Status: 04/19/2022 5:43 p.m
The terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 shook France. The assassins are also said to have received support from Belgium. Now 14 suspected accomplices are being tried in Brussels.
The trial of suspected accomplices of the November 2015 Paris attack has begun in Brussels. Nine of the 14 accused appeared in court. Two others are believed to have died in Syria. Most of the accused face charges of “participation in the activities of a terrorist organization,” which could result in several years in prison.
The trial, which is scheduled to last until May 20, is taking place under high security at the former NATO headquarters near Brussels airport. The verdict is expected before the end of June.
Help before and after attacks
The alleged accomplices are said to have supported the attackers before and after the attacks in the French capital, mostly from Belgium, by serving as drivers, providing accommodation or obtaining false documents. Some of the accused are also linked to the attacks in Brussels in March 2016. At that time, a total of three bombs exploded in the Belgian capital, killing 32 people. It is suspected that the same terrorist cell was behind the attacks in Paris and Brussels.
The Paris concert hall “Bataclan” was one of the targets of the terrorists’ attacks.
Image: AFP
During the series of attacks in Paris, extremists shot dead 130 people in the Bataclan concert hall and in bars and restaurants. There were 350 injured. 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 crimes. In France, a total of 20 suspects have been charged in connection with the attacks.