The defendant in the trial over the attack that killed three people in the Basilica of Nice on October 29, 2020 said today at the opening of the trial that he does not remember the events, denying his involvement.
"I don't remember the facts. I have nothing to say because I don't remember anything," said in Arabic the accused of carrying out the attack, Brahim Aouissaoui, of Tunisian origin and who spoke with the help of an interpreter, having only confirmed his identity before the Special Court of Paris.
The 25-year-old defendant, who faces up to life in prison, is on trial for murder and six attempted murders related to a terrorist act.
On the morning of October 29, 2020, armed with a kitchen knife, the accused nearly decapitated Nadine Vincent, 60, stabbed Simone Barreto Silva, a 44-year-old French-Brazilian who managed to flee the scene before dying, 24 times, and slit the throat of Vincent Loquès, a 55-year-old sacristan and father of two daughters.
"I don't remember how I managed to kill three people," Brahim Aouissaoui repeated at today's hearing, the same thing he had said after recovering from the serious injuries he suffered in the police action to stop the attack.
In the courtroom, the son of one of the victims of the attack screamed in anger and despair, demonstrating his frustration with the accused, who has remained in denial since he was indicted.
"This is not acceptable," the court president responded, asking authorities to remove the enraged young man from the courtroom.
Asked by the judge about the name of his lawyer, Brahim Aouissaoui, very thin, with long hair and a short beard, replied that he did not know his name.
"Talking to him, I get the impression, but I'm not a doctor or an expert either, that he doesn't understand what's at stake in this process, that he doesn't understand what's at stake in this case," said the defendant's lawyer, Martin Méchin, as he left the courtroom.
Medical examinations did not reveal any brain injury to the accused and a psychiatric examination concluded that there was no disturbance of his judgment at the time of the events.
Initially scheduled for this afternoon, the interrogation about the character of the accused will take place at the end of Tuesday afternoon, with the testimony of psychiatric experts.
This is the first time that the Catholic Church in France, as an institution, has joined the civil action.
"It is obvious, quite obvious, that Brahim Aouissaoui came to murder people in a church," said Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the French Episcopal Conference (CEF).
According to the anti-terrorist prosecution, "there are numerous elements that suggest that, at the time he left Tunisia (...), the accused already had the intention of carrying out an attack in France", such as "his proven radicalization and his association with individuals involved in terrorist cases" in Tunisia.
Furthermore, "analysis of his phone and Facebook account shows that he continued to consult Islamic 'websites'", which were interested in the beheading of Professor Samuel Paty on October 16, 2020; "who was aware of the threats made against France by media outlets close to Al-Qaeda and who clearly felt hatred" for France, described as "a country of scoundrels and dogs", the examining magistrate added.
The day before the attack, Brahim Aouissaoui had explained in an audio message to a compatriot living in the Paris region that he could not travel to Paris due to lack of money.
"I have another program in my head. May God make it easier," he said in the message.
Four days before the attack, a group close to Al-Qaeda called on Muslims to "behead" the French, particularly in "their churches".
The questioning about the facts will take place on February 24, two days before the end of the trial, scheduled for February 26.
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