It was a harrowing night of terror that traumatized Paris to this day. Islamists killed 130 people in a series of attacks six years ago. Now the trial against 20 alleged extremists begins.
Paris – Under the strictest security precautions, the process of the Islamist terrorist attacks began almost six years ago in Paris, with 130 dead and 350 injured.
Twenty suspects are charged, including Salah Abdeslam, who has already been convicted in Belgium and is considered one of the main perpetrators and the only survivor of the terrorist squad. 13 other defendants are said to have been alleged supporters. Six other defendants are on trial in absentia. Five of them are believed to have died in Syria in the meantime. One is imprisoned in Turkey on terrorist charges.
In the series of attacks on November 13, 2015, extremists shot 130 people in the “Bataclan” concert hall as well as in bars and restaurants. There were 350 injured. At the Stade de France, three suicide bombers blew themselves up during an international soccer match between Germany and France. The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) claimed the attacks for themselves.
Almost 1,000 police officers were mobilized in Paris to start the trial. Special armed forces secured the spacious, cordoned off Palace of Justice, in which a specially assembled jury negotiates in a specially furnished room. This offers 550 seats, and screens ensure that the negotiation is broadcast in all areas of the hall. Psychological support is available for relatives and those affected during the entire process. The process is scheduled to run until May 2022. Most of the accused face life or 20 years imprisonment.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, there are 1,765 co-plaintiffs. These should all be called up by name at the start of the process. Only later did the court want to go into the content of the allegations more broadly, which are based on 500 files containing the results of the investigation. Hundreds of witnesses are to be heard, in addition to investigators from France and Belgium, as well as the then French President François Hollande.
In view of the dramatic extent of the night of terrorism, the victims and their relatives are given a space that is appropriate: over a period of five weeks, around 300 of them are supposed to describe their experiences. dpa
