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| Salah Abdeslam: Paris attacks suspect goes on trial in Belgium | 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. | 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 escorted by two masked police officers, and refused to stand when requested to. | |
| "I do not wish to answer any questions," he said when asked to confirm his identity. | "I do not wish to answer any questions," he said when asked to confirm his identity. |
| Abdeslam has refused to speak to investigators since his March 2016 arrest. | Abdeslam has refused to speak to investigators since his March 2016 arrest. |
| Judge Marie-France Keutgen told the court that the suspect had also refused to have photos or video taken of him during the court proceedings. | Judge Marie-France Keutgen told the court that the suspect had also refused to have photos or video taken of him during the court proceedings. |
| Abdeslam, 28, became Europe's most wanted man after the Paris attacks, where gunmen and suicide bombers targeted a concert hall, stadium, restaurants and bars, killing 130 people and injuring hundreds more. | Abdeslam, 28, became Europe's most wanted man after the Paris attacks, where gunmen and suicide bombers targeted a concert hall, stadium, restaurants and bars, killing 130 people and injuring hundreds more. |
| He was captured in Brussels four months after the mass killings. | He was captured in Brussels four months after the mass killings. |
| French prosecutors believe Abdeslam played a key role in the attacks, but he is not expected to go on trial in France until 2020 at the earliest. | French prosecutors believe Abdeslam played a key role in the attacks, but he is not expected to go on trial in France until 2020 at the earliest. |
| The defendant's brother, Brahim, was among the attackers and died in a suicide blast outside a cafe. | The defendant's brother, Brahim, was among the attackers and died in a suicide blast outside a cafe. |
| The charges he now faces are not related to events in Paris, but to a shootout he had with police while on the run in Belgium. | The charges he now faces are not related to events in Paris, but to a shootout he had with police while on the run in Belgium. |
| Abdeslam and his suspected accomplice Sofian Ayari, 24, are accused of possessing illegal weapons and the attempted murder of police officers in a terrorist context. | Abdeslam and his suspected accomplice Sofian Ayari, 24, are accused 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. |
| From the courtroom: Damian Grammaticas, BBC News, in Brussels | |
| Salah Abdeslam entered the court silently, all eyes trained on him. On either side of Abdeslam stood police guards wearing balaclavas. | |
| The photographs released by police during the four-month manhunt for him following the Paris attacks had shown a clean-shaven young man with short-cropped hair. Now his hair was longer, almost shoulder length. In prison he's also grown a beard. | |
| The old photos showed a slim, seemingly relaxed-looking man, the air of a swagger about him. Now he moved a little hesitantly. He said nothing. When the judge asked him to confirm his identity Abdeslam, wearing a white jacket, did not respond. She asked again. He had to be coaxed to acknowledge his own name. | |
| The judge explained to the court that Abdeslam did not want his picture to be shown, so any filming of him was prohibited. | |
| The man who prosecutors say was a willing part of a murderous gang that killed 130 people in Paris was unwilling now to show his face, or even to speak up in front of the court. He has also refused to talk to prosecutors, or even lawyers representing him. | |
| As his co-accused Sofian Ayari stood to answer questions about his time in Syria, and the automatic weapons they had kept in a flat in Brussels, Abdeslam sat in silence. For now he seems determined to divulge nothing about his role, or anything else connected to the attacks. | |
| 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? |