Will the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015 be able to resume as planned on January 4 after a two-week hiatus? The question is asked while the main accused, Salah Abdeslam, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, we learned Tuesday from sources familiar with the matter, confirming information from France Info.
The only survivor of the jihadist commandos which left 130 dead and hundreds wounded in Paris and Saint-Denis, is being held during the hearing in Fleury-Mérogis prison, in the south of the capital. In this prison, the largest in Europe, a total of 21 inmates tested positive for Covid-19 as of December 24, said the Chancellery. Salah Abdeslam is imprisoned in Fleury-Mérogis under the very strict regime of solitary confinement, alone in a cell equipped with a video surveillance device operating 24 hours a day.
Asked to know if a postponement of the hearing would be requested, one of his lawyers, Me Olivia Ronen, did not respond immediately. The special assize court is trying a total of 20 defendants, including 14 present at the hearing, suspected of being involved to varying degrees in the preparation of the most deadly jihadist attacks ever perpetrated in France.