The lone surviving member of a team that carried out a riot in Paris in 2015 was He pleaded guilty Wednesday to all charges, including murder and terrorism, and was sentenced to life in prison, ending the longest criminal trial in modern French history. The court found that Salah Abdeslam played a key role between them the men who detonated explosives and assault rifles as they targeted the Bataclan concert venue, a national stadium and several restaurants and cafes on the night of November 13, 2015, killing 130 people and injuring hundreds. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the bloodshed, the worst terrorist attacks in France since World War II. While the public’s attention during the 10-month trial was focused on Abdeslam, a French national of Belgian descent, 19 Other suspected perpetrators and accomplices were also charged. Five are thought to be dead and one is in prison in Turkey. Nineteen of the 20 defendants were found guilty on all charges Wednesday, with sentences ranging from suspension to life in prison. The court sentenced 32-year-old Abdeslam to the harshest form of life imprisonment under French law, an extremely rare sentence that would make release on parole almost impossible. It was not immediately clear whether he would appeal. The lawyers representing the victims welcomed the seriousness of the court’s decision. “Salah Abdeslam’s sentence is symbolic and extremely rare, because it punishes extremely serious incidents,” lawyer Gerard Kemla told reporters. Prosecutors say Abdeslam abandoned his plans to kill passersby only after his explosive vest malfunctioned. In court, he challenged the charge, saying he had been involved in the commando plot in the final stages of its design after his brother recruited him, but withdrew from using his explosive vest because he saw himself reflecting on people sitting in a coffee. He remembered “a moment of doubt” before exploding. Abdeslam had previously been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Belgian court in a separate trial that focused on his clash with police as they tried to arrest the fugitive in the months following the Paris attacks. The French trial was unprecedented in scale and highly symbolic. The victims were invited to participate as civil parties and more than 2,500 plaintiffs were represented by hundreds of lawyers. Authorities have built a custom courtroom to allow hundreds of survivors and relatives of the victims to watch the proceedings in person or by connecting video from overflow rooms. Psychologists were available on site and by telephone. Outside the courthouse on the .le de la Cité in central Paris, hundreds of police set up roadblocks and cordoned off large areas of the island each time the accused were present. During the 10 months, the court heard experts, officials including former President Francois Hollande, survivors and witnesses. While the process was being filmed, access to the material was limited – with no plans to show them on television. Sharon Weill, a law professor at the American University of Paris that focuses on terrorism trials, said the process was aimed at proving criminal responsibility but also giving victims a place to “talk about their suffering”. However, many remain unknown. Investigators tried to shed light on key details of the plot and how the attacks were carried out, and some defendants declined to answer detailed questions. But Weill said the constant presence of victims or their relatives in the courtroom, who at times interacted directly with the suspects, provoked “strong exchanges”. Abdeslam had refused to answer questions at the Belgian trial and appeared to be militant when the Paris trial began in September. Asked about his profession, he said he had quit any other job “to become an Islamic State fighter”. During the deposition, he showed minimal remorse. “I support the Islamic State. I am in favor of them. “I love them,” Abdeslam said months after the trial, blaming “French and Western aggression” for Paris’ anger. The victims and their representatives described his comments as “additional stab wounds” and “hate speech”. However, this spring, Abdeslam appeared to have changed his tone, repeatedly offering “apologies” and “condolences” to the victims with tearful comments in court.
