For his last interrogation before the special assize court in Paris, Salah Abdeslam, the main defendant in the trial of the November 13 attacks, sought Thursday, April 14 to smooth his image without managing to remove all the inconsistencies from his account of the attacks.
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“
Everything and anything has been said about me.
We created this character that everyone wants to see today: this monster devoid of humanity
, ”explains Salah Abdeslam, dressed in an electric blue polo shirt with short sleeves.
"
This is the last chance for me to express myself
."
On Wednesday, the only member still alive of the jihadist commandos which killed 130 people in Paris and Saint-Denis revealed that he was to carry out a suicide attack in a café in the 18th arrondissement of Paris but that he had given it up "out
of humanity
. ".
“Contradictions” and “differences”
Faced with numerous questions from the court, the anti-terrorism prosecution and civil parties who point to the "
contradictions
" of his recent statements, Salah Abdeslam remains stuck on "
(his) truth
"... and rather vague.
When the first assessor is surprised that he has never spoken of the planned attack in a cafe, he explains that he did not want "
to unpack everything
" before the Belgian investigating judge, the first to question him. after his arrest in March 2016. “
Why don't I say I'm going to a bar?
Because that would have incriminated me even more
, ”says the 32-year-old Frenchman.
The assessor continues on other "
differences
" between her statements made six years ago - the only ones during the investigation - and those of the day before at the hearing.
The day after his arrest, he already said he had "
given up
", but that he had to "
blow himself up inside the Stade de France
" with his accomplices.
He also speaks of the “
metro
” taken on the evening of November 13, 2015 for “
a few stops
”, but now disputes it.
This same “metro”, mentioned in a file bearing the name “
13-Novembre
” in the computer abandoned by the jihadist cell and found by the Belgian police three days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam?
"It's hard to believe you"
In this file, five groups or targets including a “
metro group
”, with “
each time groups of two or three people
”, points out the general counsel Camille Hennetier.
Isn't it "
incongruous
" that Salah Abdeslam targets a café in the 18th arrondissement, "
a place that is not mentioned
" in this file and that he operates "
all alone
", she asks.
"
I don't see what difficulty I can have saying that I'm going to blow myself up in a subway or in a cafe
," sweeps the accused, in a tone still as calm.
And this coffee, insist the lawyers for the civil parties, if he had been "
able to find
it " on the evening of November 13 after "
scouting
" with his brother Brahim Abdeslam, who will blow himself up at the Comptoir Voltaire, why can't he specify where he is today?
The more pressing the questions, the more Salah Abdeslam hesitates in his answers.
The café he was supposed to hit was rather located in the “
bobo
” or “
popular
corner ” of the 18th arrondissement?
“
Bobo
,” replies the accused.
"
It's hard to believe you because all the other operations are done by several
people", thunders Me Didier Seban.
Salah Abdeslam loses patience: “
if this truth doesn't suit you, I don't care
”.
“
I tried to pay attention to everyone and got nothing but contempt in return.
Now I'm going to be a little selfish and think about myself
, ”he persists.
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However, he continues to answer each of the questions asked by the civil party lawyers, who admit to “
taking advantage
” of the fact that he speaks after being silent for six years.
“
Today, I do not regret expressing myself.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I felt listened to
”, justifies Salah Abdeslam.
After more than three hours of interrogation, he asks for the forgiveness of the families, and to "
give him the possibility of finding (his) family
".
"
Never, never
," shouts a man in the room.
After a new series of questions and palpable tensions, the president of the court, Jean-Louis Périès, suspends the interrogation of Salah Abdeslam, which will resume on Friday.