Attacker In Paris Terrorist Massacre Receives Life Sentence

Topline

One of over 20 attackers–the only one believed to have survived–of an Islamic extremist group that attacked the Bataclan theater and other sites in Paris received life without the possibility of parole.

This sketch shows key defendant Salah Abdeslam with and without a mask, with text reading Abadelsam … [+] removes his mask, in the special courtroom built for the 2015 attacks trial, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021 in Paris. The trial of 20 men accused in the Islamic State group’s coordinated attacks on Paris in 2015 that transformed France opened Wednesday in a custom-built complex embedded within a 13th-century courthouse. Nine gunmen and suicide bombers struck within minutes of each other at several locations around Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, leaving 130 people dead and spreading fear across the nation. (Noelle Herrenschmidt via AP)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Key Facts

Salah Abdeslam was found guilty of murder and attempted murder, the AP reports, for his involvement in the 2015 massacre that became the deadliest in French history.

Abdeslam was given the harshest and most rare sentence in France: life without the possibility of parole.

Abdeslam’s defense team argued he had discarded the explosives vest he wore because he had changed his mind—the court found the vest had malfunctioned.

Abdeslam is believed to be the only surviving members (others died by suicide bombing) of the group of 10 who executed the Paris attacks and to have had a key logistics role in driving the suicide bombers to various locations, booking places to stay and renting cars.

KEY BACKGROUND

On November 13, 2015, there were a series of bomb-and-gun attacks at Bataclan, the State de France national stadium and various restaurants, cafes and bars. The attacks left 130 people dead and 683 people injured. On Nov. 14, the militant organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also called ISIS) took responsibility for the attacks. French and Belgium investigators worked to find the identities of those who did not die by suicide bombing, and the French government issued a a state of emergency that lasted until May 2016. Since then, 20 attacks have been carried out in France. Abdeslam was arrested four months after the attacks, and his trial began in September 2021.

BIG NUMBER

20. That’s how many men were convicted for their involvement in the Paris attacks, such as providing logistical aid, and found guilty of various charges that carry between two years in prison to life.

FURTHER READING

Live: Salah Abdeslam sentenced to life in prison for role in November 2015 Paris attacks (France 24)

20 Men Convicted in November 2015 Paris Terrorist Attack (New York Times)

Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam sentenced to life in prison without parole (CNN)

Paris attacks of 2015 (Britannica)

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/darreonnadavis/2022/06/29/attacker-in-paris-terrorist-massacre-receives-life-sentence/