Two high-ranking IS leaders, who are believed to be dead and tried in their absence, were also sentenced to life sentences. The Belgian Mohammed Abrini, ‘the man in the hat’ who can be seen on camera images from before the attacks in Brussels in 2016, was also sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the attacks in Paris.
Seven of the eight attackers blew themselves up or were killed by police. Only Abdeslam fled. It was previously said that his bomb vest did not work, but Abdeslam stated in court that he had changed his mind. It wasn’t until he saw the people around him in the cafe where he should have detonated his bomb belt that he decided not to. Abdeslam also apologized to “all the victims.”
Abdeslam was arrested in Belgium in March 2016. Belgian prosecutors also suspect him of involvement in the Brussels attacks, four days after his arrest. He has been extradited to France, but has already been sentenced in Belgium to 20 years in prison for a shooting that injured three police officers.
In addition to Abdeslam, nineteen people are on trial for involvement in the Paris attacks. They would not have immediately prepared the attacks, but helped with, for example, offering shelter or supplying weapons. Six people are being tried in absentia, including five prominent IS members who are believed to have died in Syria.
Abdeslam has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a sentence rarely imposed in France. In the country, people sentenced to life imprisonment are often released after 20 to 25 years. The Paris court will issue a ruling on June 29, nearly ten months after the mega-trial began.