The only surviving member of the Islamic State attack team that terrorized Paris in 2015 asked for forgiveness on Friday and expressed condolences to the victims, wiping away tears during court testimony while begging survivors to “hate me in moderation.”
For years, Salah Abdeslam was silent about what happened on November 13, 2015 at the Bataklan Theater, cafes in Paris and the National Stadium, as well as about the 130 people killed. Since the trial against him began last year, he has had several outbursts of extremist bravado, but has refused to answer most questions for months.
Then this week, his words began to flow into lengthy testimonies that sometimes contradict earlier statements. His words sometimes provoked angry outbursts from the public.
Survivors and families of the victims, who hope the extensive process will help them find justice and clarity, have had mixed reactions.
Abdeslam says he changed his mind at the last minute
Abdeslam said the organizer of the attacks had persuaded him two days earlier to join the suicide bombers. The next day, Abdeslam said his brother Brahim had shown him a café in northern Paris where Salah was to explode in a crowd.
“It was a shock to me. I didn’t know how to react. I showed that I was not ready for it,” Abdeslam told the court. “He finally convinced me.”
He said he put on an explosive belt on the night of November 13 when his brother and other Islamic State extremists who fought in Syria were scattered across Paris, carrying out parallel attacks.
Abdeslam, right, and Mohamed Abrini, in the center, were shown on video surveillance camera at a gas station in Reason, France, on November 11, 2015, two days before the deadly attacks. (AFP / Getty Images)
“I go into the cafe, I order a drink,” Abdeslam said. “I thought. I watched people laughing, dancing. And then I realized I couldn’t do it.
“I told myself I wouldn’t do it,” he said, citing a sense of “humanity.”
A police expert on explosives told the court that the suicide belt was defective, but Abdeslam testified that he had deactivated it.
Last month, he expressed “regret” that he did not follow the attack.
But this week he began to show signs of remorse.
“There are no words for that,” he said.
“He hates me in moderation”
Asked on Friday by his lawyer about his mother and her loss due to the death of her eldest son, Abdeslam began crying for the first time since the trial began in September, according to French media reports.
Abdeslam is shown in an undated image provided by the Belgian federal police. (Federal Police of Belgium via AP)
“Please hate me moderately today,” he told the victims. “I express my condolences and ask forgiveness for all the victims.
He has also repeatedly asked for forgiveness from three other defendants who have been tried for helping him escape.
Georges Saline, whose daughter Lola was killed in Bataklan, was quoted as saying by France-Info radio: “Abdeslam is trying to settle the mountain of controversy in his head. He is trying to resolve it, but it will be a long way.”
After leaving the cafe, Abdeslam described desperate attempts to contact friends to ask for help, and took a taxi through Paris to the suburbs of Montrouge, where he said he removed the detonator from his explosive vest and threw the vest in the trash. He initially fled near Paris and then fled with friends to Brussels, where he was arrested four months later.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
More than 2,400 civil parties in the case are presenting their latest arguments next month, and the verdict is expected on June 24. This is one of the greatest processes in modern French history.
Add Comment