Salah Abdeslam’s lawyer said his client “exercised his right to silence” for the third time during today’s court appearance in the French capital.
Advertisement
Authorities hope Mr Abdeslam can provide information about the SIL extremist group’s strategies and networks, and identify others who might have had a connection to the November 13 attacks, which killed 130 people.
The two extradited in July were a 35-year-old Pakistani and a 29-year old Algerian.
A vehicle believed to transport Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam arrives at the courthouse for a hearing before French judges in Paris, France, September 8, 2016.
His lawyer argued that the two live video cameras in his cell at Fleury-Merogis prison could cause psychological damage, but France’s top administrative authority refused to order them to be removed. Judicial authorities argue the surveillance is needed to ensure he doesn’t commit suicide.
Mr Abdeslam evaded police for four months, but was arrested in March in the Brussels neighbourhood where he grew up.
With a heavily guarded convoy, Abdeslam arrived at the court to answer questions about the series of explosions and shootings that killed 130 people in Paris on November 13, 2015. The other attackers died in suicide bombings or under police fire.
Abdeslam, 26, who has twice refused to answer anti-terror judges’ questions since he was transferred to France from Belgium in April, arrived in a heavily-guarded convoy, a source close to the probe told AFP.
Advertisement
Investigators have yet to pin down Abdeslam’s exact role in the coordinated attacks on Paris bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium.
