November 13 trial: how the cell in Brussels found its ultimate hideout in Abaaoud
The city center of Saint-Denis, November 18, 2015, after the intervention of the special forces of the French police.
AFP - LIONEL BONAVENTURE
Text by: Nathanaël Vittrant Follow
5 mins
The trial of the attacks of November 13 continues before the special assize court of Paris.
After discussing the previous day Salah Abdeslam's "exfiltration" to Belgium, on the night of November 13 to 14, 2015, the court this time heard from a Belgian investigator on how the terrorist cell in Brussels found a new hideout in Abdelhamid Abaaoud and Chakib Akrouh in the following days.
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From our special correspondent at the Paris courthouse,
On November 14, 2015 in the early morning, the French police are still in shock from the attacks.
The men and women of anti-terrorism have had little sleep and their top priority is to find the still living members of the commandos.
Salah Abdeslam
is not the only one that evening to have given up on blowing himself up.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud
, the coordinator of the attacks, and
Chakib Akrouh
, his "lieutenant", fled after sowing death on the terraces of Paris.
We will find a video of the two men going through the metro gate at Croix-de-Chavaux station, Abaaoud easily recognizable by his orange sneakers.
The two men have no fallback solution, they will literally remain holed up for several days in a bush in Aubervilliers, in Seine-Saint-Denis.
The cell turns to Hasna
At the hearing, Abaaoud's attempts to get in touch with the members of the terrorist cell who remained in Belgium take the form of austere tables retracing the connections between telephone lines.
The El Bakraoui brothers, very likely coordinators of the attacks, are experienced in the methods of organized crime.
They change numbers very regularly, use separate lines for each action they take, making the police's job a little more complicated.
They are the ones who finally reconnect with Abaoud.
In a hurry, they look for a new hiding place for him.
They improvise, contact a French jihadist in Syria to ask his sister who lives in the Paris region, in vain.
Then they turn to Abdelhamid Abaaoud's cousin, Hasna, too happy to help the man she has long considered a jihad hero.
The famous spotted bush
From Belgium, the El Bakraoui brothers send her money so that she can find a hideout in Abaaoud and Akrouh.
This apartment in the city of Saint-Denis will become their tomb for all three.
Because in the meantime, the French police have spotted the famous bush of Aubervilliers thanks to an informant and follow the trio to Saint-Denis.
The intervention of the police on November 18 will end in a deluge of fire, and Chakib Akrouh will end up triggering his explosive belt.
This part of the story is known, but what interests the court are the links with the defendants.
Not much from the Belgian investigator
The Belgian investigator's presentation would have more force if the El Bakraoui brothers were in the box, but both blew themselves up during the attacks in Brussels in March 2016, as did
Najim Lachraoui,
another possible coordinator of the 13- November.
For the others, the Belgian survey does not offer much.
“
I remain
unsatisfied,” said Jonathan De Taye, the thunderous lawyer of Ali El Haddad Asufi, who we learn that he came with a friend and pizzas to Brahim El Bakraoui on the evening of November 18.
They left 45 minutes before the assault of the police in Saint-Denis, without any material element allowing to say that he was aware of the agitation of the last days around Abaaoud.
A suspicious encounter?
The investigator also points to a possible meeting between Khalid El Bakraoui, Mohamed Bakkali and Yassine Atar, both in the box.
Mohamed Bakkali,
sentenced to 25 years in prison in the case of the Thalys attack, appealed and chose in this trial to remain silent.
Yassine Atar
, he proclaims his innocence and shows himself to be "
very talkative
".
Lucas Chataignier, one of his lawyers, questions the Belgian investigator about Khalid El Bakraoui's schedule in the days following November 13, 2015. Was finding a hideout in Abaaoud his one and only concern?
“
No, he was not hiding, traveled all over Brussels and continued to take care of his household appliance store
”, replies the policewoman.
And the lawyer pointed out that Mohamed Bakkali was El Bakraoui's partner in this business, and Yassine Atar a regular client.
A photo of a vacuum cleaner
Moreover, when they meet, Yassine Atar sends Bakkali a photo of a vacuum cleaner.
“
It is even the Advocate General who must have pointed this out to you since you had forgotten to specify it.
»
“
Then why mention this meeting
?
“, annoys Raphaël Kempf, another lawyer for Yassine Atar.
“
Knowing the involvement of Khalid El Bakraoui at that time, we can ask ourselves the question
”, answers the investigator.
"
But what is your job, ma'am, to ask questions or find answers?!"
“, roared Me Kempf, forcing the president to call him to order.
His microphone is off, but in the box, Yassine Atar has stood up, we can see him vociferating about the six years he has just spent behind bars on the basis of an indictment which, from hearing to hearing, keeps deflating.
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