The top suspect in the Paris terror attack that killed 130 people in 2015 said during his trial he is an “Islamic State soldier.”
Salah Abdeslam, who is on trial for murder and terrorism charges, said Wednesday, “I gave up my job to become an Islamic State soldier,” when asked his profession in court, Reuters reported.
Abdeslam is believed to be the only surviving member of a group who carried out attacks on six restaurants and bars, a concert hall and a sports stadium in and around Paris in quick succession on one night. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility at the time and blamed France’s involvement in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria.
The trial includes more than 300 lawyers, 1,800 plaintiffs and 20 defendants, most of which are facing life in prison. The trial is expected to last about nine months.
Abdeslam’s statement declaring himself an Islamic State soldier rocked some survivors who deemed the declaration as a threat.
“Some of my clients are not doing too well … after hearing a statement that they took as a new, direct threat,” said Victor Edou, an attorney for eight survivors from the concert hall, according to Reuters. “It’s going to be like that for nine months.”
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanian told France Inter radio that terrorist threats in the country are “high, especially at times like the attacks’ trial.”
When asked his name in court, Abdeslam said he only wanted “to testify that there is no god except Allah and that Mohammad is his servant.”