Trial of November 13: the former Minister of the Interior dismisses the controversies over the intervention
Former French Minister of the Interior Bernard Cazeneuve at the helm of the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015, in Paris, November 17, 2021. © AFP - Benoit PEYRUCQ
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
On the 44th day of the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015 and a week after the testimony of former President François Hollande, it was the turn of Bernard Cazeneuve, then Minister of the Interior, to take the stand to render account of its action at the time of the attacks.
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With our special
correspondent ,
Lucie Bouteloup
“
When an attack occurs after a mobilization, it is always a failure.
It is with these words that Bernard Cazeneuve opened his testimony.
For more than four hours, the former Minister of the Interior calmly and very methodically explained the reasons for this failure.
On the eve of the 2015 attacks, the intelligence services were following 158 cases concerning 941 terrorists.
The threat against France was therefore high.
Modernization of security services, change in the methods of intervention of teams, investment in armaments or even strengthening of European cooperation ... After listing the measures put in place to protect France, Bernard Cazeneuve evokes the blind spots that remained at the time .
Starting with the difficult border control within the Schengen area to monitor the return of individuals who have left for the theater of terrorist operations.
Another blind spot: the 11,000 sites identified as potentially threatened when it was impossible to determine the place and date of a strike.
►
To read also: Trial of November 13, week 10: which witness for which truth
?
Intervention protocol respected
Then, the former tenant of Place Beauvau then returned to the day of November 13.
At the center of the discussions: the response times for emergency services at the Bataclan and the order that may have been given to the sentinel force not to intervene.
For him, there is no doubt: in both cases, the protocol has been respected.
Asked by a magistrate about possible "
regrets
", he replied: "
Not a single day has passed without asking myself whether I could have done something that I did not do. .
I will continue to question myself until my last breath.
"
►
To read also: Attacks of November 13, very symbolic commemorations in the middle of the trial
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France
Trial of the November 13 attacks
Bernard Cazeneuve
Terrorism