A new phase opened this Thursday, December 9 at the trial of the attacks of November 13, 2015. After the depositions of Belgian investigators, the court began to hear the relatives of the members of the commandos. First to be heard, by videoconference from Brussels, Yassine Abaaoud, 26, the little brother of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, alleged coordinator of the attacks and member of the terraces commando, killed on November 18 in the assault on the apartment where he was ‘was entrenched in Saint-Denis.
With Laura Martel, of RFI’s France service
Yassine Abaaoud first has a thought for ” all the victims, innocent people all over the world “. But he immediately warns: “ As to the facts, I am not able to give you any information, so I do not know if I will be able to be of great help in this trial. He doesn’t have much to say about his brother either. Especially, he specifies, that, ” in our family we are in doubt because no one has seen photos of his body and there are legends that he is still alive and that he is not the one who committed these attacks “.
Confronted with his statements in front of the police officers of Morocco, where he was imprisoned for two years for defending terrorism, he affirms: “ I don’t speak Arabic, I don’t know what I signed. “And connects dodging and denials:” You knew what your brother was doing in Syria, it wasn’t tourism ? », Presses the president.
” I do not know sir “, Persists the young man who points out however that he was” disagree “With Abdelhamid, especially when this” sacred character », In his words, in early 2014 kidnapped their little brother Younès, 13 years old at the time, to take him to Syria where he would have been killed.
► To read also: Trial of November 13: Osama Atar, the “ brain »Of the attacks« liberated »by the Belgians
“My family is broken up”
It is only when a civil party lawyer reminds him that the victims are listening to him, and questions him about the consequences of his elder sister’s participation in the attacks on his family, that Yassine Abaaoud gives up a little.
” My family is broken up. We were traders without history and everything has changed. My parents have separated. It wasn’t easy and it still isn’t “, He confides, before adding with emotion:” We always hope for the return of my little brother Younes “,” my mom says her eyes didn’t take full advantage of him “.
► Read also: Trial of November 13: the mysterious trip of Mohamed Abrini to England