Paris attacks suspect tells court he is a soldier of Islamic State

Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam has told a court he is "a soldier of Islamic State".

Abdeslam is among 20 men on trial accused of being involved in the 2015 atrocities at the Bataclan music theatre and other venues.

The so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorist attacks, which took place on 13 November 2015, killed 130 people and injured hundreds more.

Image: The car, left, carrying Salah Abdeslam arrives at the Palace of Justice

Nine gunmen and suicide bombers struck within minutes of each other at France's national football stadium, the Bataclan concert hall, and restaurants and cafes in the city.

Police secured the area near the courthouse, on the Ile de la Cite, during the arrival of a convoy believed to be carrying the defendants, and a heavy security presence remains in place.

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The alleged lone survivor of the IS group, Abdeslam, is expected to be the key defendant in the trial and is the only one charged with murder.

Image: French Gendarmes secure near the Paris courthouse on the Ile de la Cite

The same IS network went on to strike Brussels months later, killing another 32 people.

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Abdeslam, who abandoned his rental car in northern Paris and allegedly discarded a malfunctioning suicide vest before fleeing home to Brussels, has refused to speak to investigators.

He will be questioned several times throughout the trial, which is expected to last around nine months.

The 31-year-old arrived in court on Wednesday, dressed in black, and was seated behind a reinforced glass partition in the purpose-built courtroom.

Image: Court sketch shows key defendant Salah Abdeslam, (R), and defendant Mohammed Abrini (L)

Asked what his profession was, Abdeslam, told the court: "I gave up my job to become an Islamic State soldier."

"I want to testify that there is no god except Allah and that Mohammad is his servant," he said.

He is thought to hold the answers to key questions about the attacks and the people who planned them, both in Europe and abroad.

Lawyers, journalists, victims and families who lost loved ones have packed out the court for the opening of the country's biggest criminal trial in history.

Image: People arrive for the start of the trial over the 2015 attacks

The presiding judge, Jean-Louis Peries, acknowledged the extraordinary circumstances of the attacks.

He said: "The events that we are about to decide are inscribed in their historic intensity as among the international and national events of this century".

France's Prime Minister Jean Castex marked the start of the trial, vowing the government would continue "to do everything possible to curb the terrorist threat".

He told journalists that the trial reminded the country of the "cowardly and monstrous" events of that night and urged people to "spare a thought for all the families of the many victims who are waiting for justice to be served".

Image: French Police secure near the Paris courthouse on the Ile de la Cite France

Justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti has called for the trial to follow "centuries-old rules", saying "the whole world is watching us" and the country must "live up to the logistic challenge".

He added: "13 November 2015 plunged all of France in horror. There was a before and an after. These events, in effect, have become part of our history and of course, our collective memory.

"The justice system must not be lacking, concerning these events."

Six of the 20 men accused will be tried in absentia, with five believed to have likely died in Syria.

Image: French Gendarmes and police secure area outside the temporary courtroom

The modern courtroom was constructed within the 13th-century Palais de Justice in Paris, where Marie Antoinette and Emile Zola faced trial, among others.

Throughout September, the trial is expected to focus on laying out police and forensic evidence before moving on to the testimonies from victims in October.

From November to December, officials including the former French president Francois Hollande are due to give evidence as will relatives of the attackers.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr Hollande said he would speak "not for the sake of French politics, but for the victims of the attacks".

"I will answer any questions about my decisions during that terrible night. I will answer any questions if they are asked, about what our intelligence was", he said.

Image: Journalists line up to enter the Paris courthouse

"What is the goal of the terrorists? Of course, to try to harm our way of life, and fight the war because we are waging one against them, but what they want the most is to divide us. That is why I am proud of the French because they didn't divide after November 13th."

Dominique Kielemoes, whose son bled to death at one of the cafes that night, said the month dedicated to victims' testimonies at the trial will be crucial to both their own healing and that of the nation.

Image: Officers in the area near the Paris courthouse

"The assassins, these terrorists, thought they were firing into the crowd, into a mass of people. But it wasn't a mass - these were individuals who had a life, who loved, had hopes and expectations, and that we need to talk about at the trial. It's important," she said.

France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin said there have been around 50 attacks since President Emmanuel Macron was elected in 2017, out of which 36 have been thwarted by intelligence services.

He added that the threat of terrorism in the country is "particularly high" and where there is "pressure in media and politics focusing on the trial of radical Islamism, clearly the threat is even higher".

For the first time, victims have been given the option to listen to the trial from home using a secure audio link with a 30-minute delay.

The proceeding will not be televised but will be recorded for archival purposes - which has only been used in a handful of cases in the country that are considered to be of historical value.

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