Survivors of 2015 Paris attacks relive horror in trial testimony
- The suicide bombing and gun assaults by three teams of jihadists in locations in Paris left 130 people dead and around 350 physically injured
- One by one over the coming weeks, 300 survivors as well as family members of the victims of the murderous assault are to take the stand
Survivors of the November 2015 Paris attacks began testifying at a historic trial on Tuesday, facing the ordeal of reliving that night of horror in the presence of more than a dozen accused in court.
One by one over the coming weeks, 300 survivors as well as family members of the victims of the murderous assault are to take the stand.
The suicide bombing and gun assaults by three teams of jihadists on bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and the national stadium – planned in Syria and later claimed by Islamic State – left 130 people dead and around 350 physically injured.
“A suicide bomber blew himself up in front of us. I can still feel the explosion in my body, as well as the noise and the smell,” Pierre, a now-retired police officer, told the court on Tuesday.
Pierre, who was part of a Republican Guard patrol at the Stade de France stadium on the night of the attacks, said in a trembling voice that “it was shocking to see a human torso cut in half, and bits of flesh everywhere”.
