Suspect in 2015 Paris attacks says deaths of 130 were ‘nothing personal’
- Key defendant Salah Abdeslam tells court the coordinated killings were in retaliation for French air strikes on the Islamic State group
- Abdeslam is the only survivor from a cell of gunmen and suicide bombers behind one of the worst terror attacks to hit the West
The key defendant in the 2015 Paris attacks trial said on Wednesday the coordinated killings were in retaliation for French air strikes on the Islamic State group, calling the deaths of 130 innocent people “nothing personal” as he acknowledged his role for the first time.
Salah Abdeslam, who wore all black and declined to remove his mask as he spoke in a custom-built courtroom, has been silent throughout the investigation. Observers were waiting to see if he would offer any details during the trial.
Nine Islamic State group gunmen and suicide bombers struck within minutes of one another at several Paris locations on November 13, 2015, targeting fans at the national soccer stadium and cafe-goers and ending with a bloodbath in the Bataclan concert hall.
It was the deadliest violence to strike France since World War II and among the worst terror attacks to hit the West, shaking the country’s sense of security and rewriting its politics.
Abdeslam is the only survivor of that cell, most of whose members were French or Belgian. After his suicide vest malfunctioned on the night of the attacks, he fled to his hometown of Brussels.
