This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42940636
The article has changed 18 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Salah Abdeslam: Paris attacks suspect goes on trial in Belgium | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The sole surviving suspect from the 2015 Paris terror attacks has gone on trial at a Belgian court over the gun fight that led to his arrest. | |
| Salah Abdeslam was captured in Brussels four months after the attacks. | Salah Abdeslam was captured in Brussels four months after the attacks. |
| The charges he faces are not related to events in Paris but to a shootout with police while on the run in Belgium. | |
| The attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers on a Paris concert hall, stadium, restaurants and bars left 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded. | The attacks by gunmen and suicide bombers on a Paris concert hall, stadium, restaurants and bars left 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded. |
| Among the attackers was Abdeslam's brother, Brahim, who died in a suicide blast outside a cafe. | Among the attackers was Abdeslam's brother, Brahim, who died in a suicide blast outside a cafe. |
| French prosecutors believe Salah Abdeslam, 28, also played a key role in the attacks but he has refused to co-operate with investigators. | French prosecutors believe Salah Abdeslam, 28, also played a key role in the attacks but he has refused to co-operate with investigators. |
| Long haired and bearded, he entered the court escorted by two masked police officers wearing balaclavas. | |
| He is not expected to go on trial in France until 2020 at the earliest. | He is not expected to go on trial in France until 2020 at the earliest. |
| Following the attacks, Salah Abdeslam became Europe's most wanted man and was eventually found hiding in a flat in his home district of Molenbeek in Brussels. | Following the attacks, Salah Abdeslam became Europe's most wanted man and was eventually found hiding in a flat in his home district of Molenbeek in Brussels. |
| In the trial opening on Monday, Abdeslam and suspected accomplice Sofian Ayari, 24, face charges of possessing illegal weapons and the attempted murder of police officers in a terrorist context. | In the trial opening on Monday, Abdeslam and suspected accomplice Sofian Ayari, 24, face charges of possessing illegal weapons and the attempted murder of police officers in a terrorist context. |
| The men allegedly fought a gun battle with officers who raided the flat where they were holed up in the Belgian capital. | The men allegedly fought a gun battle with officers who raided the flat where they were holed up in the Belgian capital. |
| If found guilty they face up to 40 years in prison. | If found guilty they face up to 40 years in prison. |
| Abdeslam, a French citizen born to Moroccan parents in Brussels, has been held at a jail near Paris. He left the prison under armed guard in the early hours of Monday, accompanied by tactical police vehicles. | Abdeslam, a French citizen born to Moroccan parents in Brussels, has been held at a jail near Paris. He left the prison under armed guard in the early hours of Monday, accompanied by tactical police vehicles. |
| He will return to France every night during the trial, but will be held at another jail just across the border. | He will return to France every night during the trial, but will be held at another jail just across the border. |
| Up to 200 police will be guarding the courthouse for the trial, which is expected to last four days. | Up to 200 police will be guarding the courthouse for the trial, which is expected to last four days. |
| What happened in the Paris attacks? | What happened in the Paris attacks? |