‘Isil landlord’ becomes first to be tried over Paris attacks
A “SLUM landlord” became the first person to be tried in relation to the Paris terror attacks yesterday, accused of concealing the suspected ringleader of the massacre that left 130 people dead.
The trial is the first test for up to 500 victims and their families, who are civil plaintiffs in the case.
Jawad Bendaoud, 31, rented out his dingy flat in Saint-denis, north of Paris, to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ringleader, and Chakib Akrouh, a fellow terrorist, after their killing spree in a string of Paris bars and the Bataclan concert hall on Nov 13 2015.
As elite police launched their final assault on the pair five days later, Mr Bendaoud was interviewed by a news channel in the street below, where he confessed to housing the men.
All he knew, he said, was that the pair came from Belgium and had asked for nothing but “water and to pray”.
His apparently clueless response made him an instant laughing stock for a traumatised nation and spawned a thousand social media puns.
Police, however, took his remarks seriously and arrested him on camera. The “Isil landlord”, as he has been nicknamed, has been in prison awaiting trial ever since and stands accused of “concealing terrorists”, a crime punishable with a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a €90,000 (£78,500) fine.
His appearance comes days before Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving suspect among the 10 men who carried out the killing spree, will stand trial in Belgium, starting on Feb 5.
Mr Bendaoud is on trial alongside Mohamed Soumah, his friend, and Youssef Aitboulahcen, the brother of the woman killed in the raid.
The court must rule whether he actively conspired in helping two of the jihadists evade capture or whether he was unaware of their identity and acts.
The trial continues.