The Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, the shooter commissioned by the Islamic State organization (IS) to carry out an attack against a Thalys train in August 2015, expressed Thursday, December 8 his "
regrets
" and his "
shame
" for the act that he intended to accomplish, on the last day of his appeal trial.
“
Do I regret?
How can I not regret?
“, said the accused to the judges before the special assize court withdrew to deliberate.
“
How can I not regret shooting Mark Moogalian in the back?
The bullet went out in his neck.
I was very lucky that he didn't die
,” said the 33-year-old Moroccan in Arabic, standing in his cubicle.
"
How can I not regret all the victims of the train that I terrorized
," he continued.
“
I swear to you that I regret everything I have committed.
It is a bitter regret.
I am ashamed of what I did
,” he insisted.
Apologies to Belgium, France and Spain
Ayoub El Khazzani also apologized to Belgium (where he hid after his illegal return from Syria), France and Spain (where he lived with his family).
“
I betrayed them
,” he lamented.
“
As a Moroccan I also brought humiliation to my country
,” he continued.
"
I'm ashamed
," he repeated before emphasizing that he would accept the court's decision whatever it was.
Read alsoAttack on the Thalys: the “luck” of the hero
At first instance, Ayoub El Khazzani was sentenced to life imprisonment with a security period of 22 years.
In her indictment on Wednesday, December 7, the Advocate General had demanded an identical sentence, arguing that "
we must not give El Khazzani the opportunity to start again what he could not execute
".
"
If you sentence him to life, it's because you want him never to go out
," argued counsel for the accused, Me Martin Méchin, recalling that his client had been in solitary confinement since seven years.
He called on the court to "
stop this implacable machine
" and to "
have the courage to say: There is a small hope
" that Ayoub El Khazzani can one day be released from prison "
without anyone being afraid
".
“
It will take time
,” he conceded.
The decision is expected at the end of the day.