This midday, the trial of the attacks of November 13 was able to resume after a three-week break. On the menu for this 65th day of the hearing: the interrogation of the one nicknamed by the media as the Man in the Hat, Mohamed Abrini. He is the first to answer questions about his religious practice and his visit to Syria.
On the attacks
During the questions of the civil parties, Mohamed Abrini got carried away when a lawyer reproached him for his “imperviousness to the pain of the victims”. The man gets angry: “It breaks my balls to hear that! I wasn’t in Paris and I didn’t kill anyone!”.
After the attacks of March 22, 2016, a will drawn up and signed by Mohamed Abrini was found by investigators. Asked about it, Mohamed Abrini defends himself: “I asked my lawyer to show you the will of Khalid El Bakraoui [NDLR : terroriste de Maelbeek]. I didn’t know how to do it so I copied “. Before getting carried away: “It concerns the Brussels file, a single trial had to be carried out! It was the same cell that struck.”
The president continues on the content of the will. We can read this sentence in particular: “A person who blows himself up in the middle of the kouffars is a hero “. Mohamed Abrini explains: “These attacks are a response to the bombings”. A logic already expressed by Salah Abdeslam during this trial.
I am not able to blow myself up
Abrini adds, however: “Me, I am not able to do it. After, those who decided to do it, it was a response to violence”. And to justify: “Disgusting things don’t come from one side.” The president asks him if that justifies killing people at a concert or on a terrace. Abrini replies sheepishly: “It is like that, Mr. President.”
Moments later, a somewhat surreal moment. As the president looks back on the facts “disgusting” committed by the Islamic State such as beheadings, Mohamed Abrini launches: “The beheadings were also done in France”. In front of the astonishment of the president, Abrini specifies: “You cut off your own king’s head!”. The president replies: “It’s not the same time”.
In syria
On his trip to Syria, Abrini says: “I only told one or two people, not even”. During his interrogations, he told investigators that he had left to meditate at the grave of his brother Souleymane. He died in Syria in January 2014 while Abrini was in prison.
About his little brother, Mohamed Abrini declares “to be proud of himself. He went to defend innocent people who were being massacred by a corrupt regime“. And to position itself on the Islamic State at the request of the president: “It could have been something good”. Later in the interrogation, Mohamed Abrini situates his allegiance to the Islamic State upon his release from prison, without being much more precise. Before clarifying his status within IS: “I am not an Islamic State cadre, they want to cut me a suit bigger than what I can wear”, he says.
The president then questions him about the Islamic State propaganda videos found on his phone. Mohamed Abrini explains: “Back then, a new video was coming out every day. It was like following a series.”.
His religious practice
Mohamed Abrini confirms that he became a practitioner following the death of his brother. A change observed by his relatives and specified by them in their questioning during the investigation.
If I was free I would go to a country where Sharia law is applied
On his radicalization, the president of the Assize Court did not go four ways: “Are you radicalized?”, he asks her. Abrini replies: “Por me, I am not radical. Afterwards, for others, I am radical “. And to add when the president asks him a question about Sharia law: “It is divine law, it is above the law of men. If I were a free man, I would go and live in a country where Sharia law is applied”.
The president pushes his questions a little further and asks Mohamed Abrini what he thinks of jihad. This one answers: “It is a duty for every Muslim to go and wage jihad. It is a duty to protect the oppressed, those who are being massacred”.
Reactions from lawyers
After two hours of questioning, the hearing was suspended. Some civil party lawyers were able to give us their first impressions following Mohamed Abrini’s statements. Gérard Chemla represents several civil parties: “We are in front of someone who, surprisingly enough, comes to tell us absolutely abominable things. It is the first time that we are in front of someone who clearly assumes this kind of thing”. And analyze: “In ideology, we see that there has not been an iota of evolution since 2015”.
Absent witnesses
To complete the interrogation of Mohamed Abrini, three witnesses were summoned to appear. Lex-companion of Mohamed Abrini, his mother as well as a third person. They all declined the invitation. The ex-companion of Mohamed Abrini, however, sent a letter in which she indicated that she did not feel able to come and testify and wanted to be left alone.