Suspected Isis militant accused of involvement in Paris attacks appears before French judge on terror charges
Salah Abdeslam has been charged with 'participation in terrorist murders' in Paris and attempted murder in a shoot-out with police in Brussels
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The suspected Isis militant Salah Abdeslam appeared before a judge in Paris on Wednesday afternoon where he was formally charged with murder and the attempted murder of a terrorist nature, just hours after being extradited from Brussels.
Abdeslam – believed to be the only surviving member of the group that killed 130 people during the 13 November Paris attacks – was remanded in provisional custody. He will be held in solitary confinement, according to reports.
A spokesperson for the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said a European arrest warrant issued by France had been executed.
Abdeslam, 26, reportedly told Belgian police he could not bring himself to blow himself up in his allotted mission at the Stade de France.
Frank Berton, a high-profile French criminal lawyer, said he would lead his defence and had visited Abdeslam at a prison in Bruges last week, along with the suspect’s Belgian lawyer, Sven Mary.
“He told me naturally that he has things to say and he will say them. He wants to talk,” Mr Berton told BFM TV.
“What counts and what matters for us as his lawyers is simply that he gets a fair trial, that he is sentenced for things he did and not things that he didn't do. That's vital because he is the sole survivor.”
Abdeslam, whose brother Brahim was among the suicide bombers, was on the run until he was caught hiding out in Brussels in March.
An Isis militant, Mohamed Belkaid, 35, was shot dead by police during the shoot-out at a flat in Forest on 15 March.
Three days later, Abdeslam was traced to a flat in the suburb of Molenbeek and arrested alongside an suspected accomplice known under the aliases Amine Choukri and Monir Ahmed Alaaj.
His lawyer initially said his client, a French national who grew up in Belgium, would resist extradition to France but the move was agreed on 31 March.
Abdeslam is just one of several suspects held on suspicion of involvement in the Paris and Brussels attacks.
Mohamed Abrini, accused of being the surviving Brussels bomber, is in custody ahead of a pre-trial hearing scheduled for 26 May.
He was also wanted in connection with the Paris attacks, after being seen with Abdeslam in a car used in the massacres, but evaded security services until he was arrested in Brussels on 8 April.
Belgian investigators said he admitted being the “man in the hat” wheeling a suitcase bomb in Brussels Airport minutes before the 22 March attacks.
Alleged accomplice Osama Krayem, who was driven from Germany to Belgium by Abdeslam in October, has also been charged with “terrorist murder” in both the Paris and Brussels attacks.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments