Paris terror attacks suspect stays mum in Belgian court
BRUSSELS: The prime surviving suspect in the 2015 Islamic State attacks on Paris said he would answer no questions as his trial in Belgium over a shooting that preceded his arrest got under way in Brussels on Monday.
Appearing in public for the first time since the November 2015 attacks and his arrest in Brussels four months later, Salah Abdeslam, 28, remained seated, flanked by two masked Belgian police officers.
“I do not wish to answer questions,” Abdeslam said.
After a first session during which his alleged accomplice admitted to having fought for Islamic State in Syria and said that both accused were present during the March 2016 shootout with Brussels police, the judge again asked Abdeslam to speak.
Citing his right to silence and declaring his Muslim faith, he accused the media of condemning him before his trial: “Judge me. Do as you want with me,” he told the judge. “I put my trust in my Lord .... I remain silent. That is a right which I have,” he said, adding: “My silence does not make me a criminal or guilty.
“I am defending myself by remaining silent.”
He asked that the prosecution base itself only on forensic evidence and to “not swagger about to satisfy public opinion”, adding: “Muslims are judged and treated in the worst kind of ways. They are judged without mercy. There is no presumption of innocence.”