In the trial of the 2015 Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris, the main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, was sentenced to life imprisonment. A jury found the 32-year-old Frenchman guilty on Wednesday evening in the Paris Palace of Justice.
Abdeslam is considered the only survivor of the terrorist command at the time. He should not be given the opportunity to reduce his sentence before the end of 30 years. In Belgium he has already been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Long prison sentences were also imposed on other defendants. 19 of the 20 accused were found guilty on all counts.
The series of attacks of November 13, 2015 was rolled out for more than nine months in the trial in the Paris Palace of Justice. That evening, extremists in the French capital had killed 130 people and injured 350 others within a few hours. They massacred the Bataclan concert hall and also spread terror in several bars and restaurants. Three suicide bombers blew themselves up during an international soccer match between Germany and France at the Stade de France.
The terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the attacks. Most members of the terrorist squad blew themselves up in the attacks. One was shot dead by the police that evening, and others died a few days later during a police operation. The series of attacks caused horror around the world. In addition to Abdeslam, 19 other defendants had to answer in the mammoth trial. Six of the defendants were convicted in absentia: one is in custody in Turkey, the other five are said to have died in Syria.
The process, which lasted more than 140 days, was followed far beyond France. Several weeks at the beginning of the trial were devoted to testimonies from survivors and those left behind, in which the horror night was described hundreds of times in personal fates. Again and again, meetings were canceled or canceled because the accused had contracted the corona virus or did not want to appear in court.
