Bataclan attack trial: Court case begins into 2015 Paris attacks as 1,000 police stand guard
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The trial is set to open into the terrorist attacks which left around 130 dead in Paris more than six years ago.
Gunmen with suicide vests attacked six bars and restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and a sports stadium in the French capital in November 2015 in a deadly jihadist rampage, which also wounded hundreds.
Scores of police gathered around the Palais de Justice courthouse in central Paris ahead of the trial of 20 men suspected of involvement in the attacks.
The French interior minister has warned the terrorist threat is especially high at times like the attack’s trial, which is due to start on Wednesday morning.
Around 1,000 police have been deployed for the trial, he said.
Good morning and welcome to our coverage as the trial opens into the Paris November 2015 attacks.
Trial to kick off 10.30 GMT
The trial is set to kick off at 12.30 local time (10.30 GMT).
Images show a convoy believed to be transporting Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the 2015 attacks, from prison to the courthouse ahead of the trial.
France prepapes for ‘trial of century'
France’s biggest terror case is due to start today, as 20 defendants stand trial in Paris for planning, aiding and carrying out the Paris attacks six years ago which left 130 people dead.
A criminal court has been built inside the Palais de Justice especially for the occasion in what has been described as the country’s “trial of the century”.
Peter Allen in Paris has the full story:
Police guard courthouse
The courthouse has a high police presence as security has been ramped up ahead of this morning’s trial.
Officers can be seen inside and around the Palais de Justice of Paris:
Victims remembered on social media
Victims of the 2015 Paris attacks are being remembered on Twitter ahead of today’s trial.
Valerie Boyer, a French politician, said her thoughts are with those killed in the attacks as she shared a collage of victims’ faces:
Renaud Muselier, another politician, called the trial “historic” and “vital” as he shared images of those killed in the terror attack:
A French journalist has paid tribute to Maxime Bouffard, a 26-year-old who died at the Bataclan.
“I never knew him and yet I will never forget him”, Benjamin Fontaine, a journalist at Radio France, tweeted.
“I will remember the flowers placed outside his mother’s pharmacy the day after events. The faces of his friends.”
An Italian journalist has also shared the image of Valeria Solesin, a young Italian killed in the attacks, today:
Documents ‘cover 50 metres'
The documents lined out for the trial spread across 50 metres, a French journalist has said.
“Biggest trial in the history of France,” the LCI columnist said.
Who are the defendants?
Twenty men are charged, but only 14 will be on trial.
Salah Abdeslam, who ditched his car and a malfunctioning suicide vest and ultimately fled to his hometown of Brussels following the Paris attacks, is the only defendant charged with murder.
He is believed to be the only surviving member of the group suspected of carrying out the Paris attacks.
Thirteen others, 10 of whom are also in jail, will be in the courtroom, accused of crimes ranging from helping provide the attackers with weapons or cars to planning to take part in the attack.
Six more, mostly Islamic State officials, will be judged in abstentia for helping organise the attacks. Several are thought to have died since.
Additional reporting by agencies
How will the trial unfold?
While the trial is kicking off today, the judgement will only come next year.
It is set to last nine months, with about 1,800 plaintiffs and more than 300 lawyers taking part.
Eric Dupond-Moretti, the French justice minister, has described as an unprecedented judicial marathon.
The first days of the trial are expected to be largely procedural, with plaintiffs being registered, though judges may read a summary of how the attacks unfolded.
Victims’ testimonies are set to start on 28 September, with one week devoted to the attacks on the Stade de France and cafes, and four to the Bataclan.
The questioning of the accused will start in November but they are not set to be questioned on the night of the attacks and the week before them until March.
A verdict is expected in late May.
Reuters
Defendants arrive
The 14 defendants to stand trial in court have arrived, French media have reported.
Around 1,000 police deployed
France’s interior minister has said nearly 1,000 police have been deployed in Paris for the trial.
“The terror threat in France is high, especially in moments like the trial of attacks,” Gerald Darmanin tweeted.
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