The only surviving suspect in the 2015 Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, defied Belgian judges on Monday and said he put his “trust in Allah” on the opening day of his trial.
The 28-year-old, who was transferred under heavy security from a jail near the French capital overnight for the trial, refused to answer questions about the gun battle in Brussels or stand for the court.
I am not afraid of you
“I am not afraid of you, I am not afraid of your allies,” said a defiant Abdeslam. “I put my trust in Allah and that’s all.”
He alleged that the court in Brussels was biased against Muslims as he explained why he would not cooperate despite having asked to attend the trial.
He also refused to allow photographs or video images to be taken of him.
He has point-blank refused to speak to investigators since his arrest in Brussels March 2016, three days after the gun battle in the Forest district of the city for which he is on trial. Abdeslam and Sofiane Ayari, a 24-year-old Tunisian arrested with him, face charges of attempted terrorist murder of police officers and carrying banned weapons.
