France prepares for its trial of the century as Bataclan terror suspects reach court

Twenty people will stand trial for the 2015 attacks which left 130 dead, reports Peter Allen from Paris

A police officer stands behind a shield outside the Paris courthouse where France is putting on trial 20 men accused in the Nov 2015, Islamic State terror attacks on Paris (AP)

France’s biggest terror case starts on Wednesday as 20 defendants stand trial in Paris for planning, aiding and carrying out the Paris attacks six years ago which left 130 people dead.

Suicide bombings and drive-by shootings in the capital city began on the evening of 13 November 2015 and took place at the Bataclan theatre, the Stade de France where 80,000 people were watching France play Germany at football, and bars and restaurants..

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”.

Of the 14 defendants, most attention will be paid to Salah Abdeslam who is considered to have played a key role in the attacks.

Abdeslam, 31, a French citizen who grew up in Belgium, is already three years into a 20-year prison sentence for attempted murder, separate from the Paris attacks.

Beyond planning to attack the Stade de France, Abdeslam also allegedly rented cars and hideouts for Isis members, including his brother, Brahim Abdelsam, who blew himself up inside a cafe on November 13.

Matthieu Chirez, a lawyer for 21 Bataclan survivors from the UK and Ireland, said the trial would be ‘a search for the truth’ (AP)

After the attack, he hid in Paris before fleeing to Brussels.

He will be represented by Paris lawyer, Olivia Ronen, who said she would do everything possible to mitigate on Abdeslam’s behalf, and is not “afraid of displeasing or shocking people”.

In Paris, Abdeslam faces numerous charges including “participating in murders in an organised gang connected to a terrorist enterprise”.

Abdeslam’s childhood friend, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was shot dead by police, was the suspected on-the-ground coordinator of the Paris slaughter.

Of the 20 involved, six will be tried in their absence because five are presumed dead in Iraq or Syria, and one is in prison in Turkey.

The courtroom built especially for the Bataclan trial (AP)

Their victims in Paris included Briton 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”.