Paris on security alert as Bataclan terror trial begins

A vast security operation swung into operation in Paris on Wednesday as the trial of those charged with carrying out the worst terrorist attack in the French capital’s history was set to begin.

Twenty men will stand trial for carrying out the deadly attacks in November 2015 which left 130 people dead and more than 400 wounded after the Bataclan music hall, the Stade de France and cafe, bars and restaurants in 10th and 11th arrondisements were targeted.

Vans thought to be carrying some of the accused left the Fleury-Merogis prison south of Paris ahead of the start of the trial, scheduled to start close midday.

“The terrorist threat in France is high, especially at times like the attacks’ trial,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told France Inter radio. “I called on all the prefects to be vigilant.”

In total, more than 1,000 police will be devoted to ensuring the security of the trial, he said.

Those attending the trial will have to go through several checkpoints before being allowed into a specially-built courtroom and other rooms where the hearings will be broadcast.

The trial will last nine months, with about 1,800 plaintiffs and more than 300 lawyers taking part in what Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti has described as an unprecedented judicial marathon. The verdict is not expected until late May.

Most of the accused, including Salah Abdeslam, the 31-year old French-Moroccan who is believed to be the only surviving member of the group suspected of carrying out the attacks, face life imprisonment if convicted.

He has admitted discarding a belt full of explosives rather than blowing himself up on 13 November, 2015, the night of the attacks.

Six of the 20 will be tried in absentia. Five of them are thought to have been killed while fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq, while a sixth is in prison in Turkey.

Survivors and relatives of those who died said they were hoping the trial will help them, and everyone, better understand what happened and why it happened - and hopefully avoid further attacks.

“That night plunged us all into horror and ugliness,” Jean-Pierre Albertini, whose 39-year old son, Stephane, was killed in the Bataclan concert hall told Reuters.

“What I care about in the trial is the testimony of other survivors... (to) hear how they have been coping over the past six years,” said 48-year-old Jerome Barthelemy. “As for the accused, I don’t even expect them to speak.”

A survivor of the attack on the Bataclan, Barthelemy said he was doing well now but had suffered from depression and anxiety.

Responsibility for the killings was claimed by Islamic State, which had urged its followers to attack France over its involvement in the fight against the group in Iraq and Syria.

Victims in Paris included Englishman Nick Alexander, 31, from Weeley, Essex, who died in the Bataclan music venue.

Matthieu Chirez, a lawyer for 21 Bataclan survivors from the UK and Ireland, said the trial, which is scheduled to last for nine months, would be ‘a search for the truth’.