Trial of November 13: the testimonies of Belgian investigators follow one another
In front of the courtroom built for the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015, at the Palais de Justice in Paris, September 8, 2021. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
At the trial of the attacks of November 13, the testimonies of the Belgian investigators follow one another by video to evoke the course of the members of the commandos while limiting themselves for the moment to the period preceding the attacks, until August 2015. During the hearing concerning on Brahim Abdeslam, who blew himself up inside the bar Le Comptoir Voltaire, several civil party and defense lawyers deplored what they qualified as "
failures
" of the Belgian police.
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On February 9, 2015, the local Belgian police opened a file on Brahim Abdeslam after being informed that he had contacted his brother Salah from Turkey to tell him that he was preparing to cross to Syria, explains the federal investigator.
A week later, Brahim, back in Belgium, was arrested following a simple road check.
His succinct hearing will not really have any consequences.
However, if he denies any sympathy for the Islamic State, Brahim then admits “
having had radical ideas
” and carries with him a document entitled “
Parents
'
permission to do jihad
”.
►
To read also:
Trial of November 13: the "contradictions" of Adel Haddadi and Muhammad Usman
Little or no use of elements
"
It's cold in the back afterwards because we had it on hand, we had everything on a plate,
" said a defense lawyer. Contrary to what the federal investigator puts forward to avoid explaining this "
failure
", the file was not in the sole hands of the local police, she points out, but also in those of the counter- terrorism. It is moreover the federal prosecutor's office which will classify it “without continuation” in June 2015.
Some elements were however little or not exploited, in particular the telephone seized on Brahim Abdeslam.
Another "
failure
", insist the civil parties, because an expertise finally conducted in 2016 will reveal a conversation dating back to July 2014 with Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
“
May Allah guide you in the voice of jihad and grant you martyrdom
”, launches from Syria the future coordinator of the attacks to Brahim Abdeslam, who assures us: “
I am coming inch'Allah
”.
"
If this conversation had been picked up earlier, the decision to close it off would have been different,
" the investigator finally recognized with difficulty.
►
To listen also: Witnesses of news - Trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015: how to best tell?
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Trial of the November 13 attacks
France
Belgium
Terrorism
Justice