France's Biggest Trial to Open Over November 2015 Attacks
Voice of America
PARIS - The biggest trial in France's modern legal history begins on Wednesday over the November 2015 attacks on Paris that saw 130 people slaughtered at bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall.
The suicide bombing and gun assault by three teams of jihadists, later claimed by the Islamic State group, was France's worst post-war atrocity. A purpose-built facility at the historic court of justice on the Ile de la Cite in central Paris will host the trial, with 14 of the 20 defendants present, including the only surviving attacker, Salah Abdeslam. "Everyone has their own expectations, but we know that this is an important milestone for our future lives," said Arthur Denouveaux, a survivor of the Bataclan music venue attack and president of the Life for Paris victims' association.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, leader of the Conservative Party, speaks to supporters during his visit to Melksham in southwest England, June 7, 2024. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, attends the UK national commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, held at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, June 6, 2024.
FILE - Residents displaced from a surge of violent attacks squat on blankets and in hastily made tents in the village of Masteri in west Darfur, Sudan, on July 30, 2020. FILE - A man walks by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, April 25, 2023. FILE - Volunteers distribute food to residents and displaced people in Omdurman, Sudan, March 8, 2024.
A Swiss flag is pictured in front of the Burgenstock Resort where the Summit on Peace in Ukraine will take place June 15 and 16, in Lucerne, Switzerland, May 28, 2024. FILE - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a press conference in Beijing, May 30, 2024. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens to a question during a press conference after the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, June 2, 2024.