November 13 trial: the story of a sprawling investigation spanning more than four years
The detailed examination of the facts began with the hearing of the first witness, a commissioner of the anti-terrorism sub-directorate, who retraced four and a half years of investigation.
© RFI / François-Damien Bourgery
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015 is continuing, after a hearing began on Monday, September 13, devoted to the end of the reading of the President's introductory report, which took nearly ten hours between Friday and Monday.
The detailed examination of the facts began with the hearing of the first witness, a commissioner of the anti-terrorism branch.
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With our special correspondent at the Palais de Justice in Paris
,
Laura Martel
The first witness came to retrace four and a half years of investigation.
Despite its rapid flow and impressive mastery of the file, it took the commissioner four hours to retrace the chronology of more than four years of investigation.
A sprawling investigation whose developments concerned 25 countries and which mobilized up to 1,000 investigators on the French side, while the anti-terrorism sub-directorate was at the time already involved in 52 judicial investigations, of which more than 30 concerned terrorist attacks or attempts made in the previous months in France.
In all, this investigation includes 47,000 minutes and 2,260 witnesses interviewed.
►
To read: Trial of November 13: hundreds of witnesses expected
An unprecedented attack of "unprecedented
sophistication
"
From the first observations made in an emergency, with the search for fleeing terrorists as a priority, to the long-term work which made it possible to trace back to the sponsors, the commissioner details the tracks followed in all directions. From the operation of telephony, video surveillance, to more than 17,000 reports received on a toll-free number, not to mention international cooperation. It is a whole ramification of hideouts, vehicles and other channels of false papers and routing of terrorists from Syria that the witness describes.
"
A total investigation
", in his words, which made it possible to identify the perpetrators, accomplices and even the ordering parties: "The
whole structure put in place by the Islamic State to carry out the most complex operation carried out by the terrorist group outside its borders
.
"
An "
unprecedented
attack
, since it is the first time that suicide bombers have struck in France
", underlines the commissioner and of "
unprecedented sophistication
".
"
In thirty-seven minutes, the terrorists struck eight places, in coordination with the rear base of the cell located in Belgium, and in direct connection with sponsors who remained in Syria,
" recalls the commissioner.
A hearing interrupted by the replies of Salah Abdeslam
The long detailed account of the commissioner of the anti-terrorism sub-directorate is interrupted twice by
Salah Abdeslam
. While the witness barely begins to describe the course of the attacks, Salah Abdeslam begins to cry, despite his microphone cut. "
Let the witness speak
," demands the president. "
When will we have the floor?"
», Relaunches the accused. "
Later, shut up, or I'll take you out,
" lashes the magistrate. But Salah Abdeslam continues: "
It's not going to relieve the civil parties, we've been hearing that for a week!"
""
And it is not over,
asserts the magistrate
, you will hear it for several more weeks!
"
The accused ends up being silent.
Three hours go by.
A defense lawyer interrupts the investigator, and here is Salah Abdeslam standing again, uttering his voice.
New threat of expulsion of the president.
He denounces: "
You will hear the police go back in detail to the facts, the elements of investigations.
It will take weeks, even if you don't like it, he
insists.
You will also hear the testimony of the civil parties.
So you will have to arm yourself with patience,
”concludes the magistrate.
In his corner of the box, Salah Abdeslam sits down.
The hearing resumes this Tuesday, September 14, with the hearing of the Belgian anti-terrorism judge Isabelle Panou.
►
To read: At the trial of November 13, the procedure and the emotion
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