At the trial of Samuel Paty, the professor murdered in October 2020, it was the turn of one of the main suspects to be heard on Wednesday. Azim Epsyrkhanov, 19 years old at the time of the events, was a childhood friend of Abdoullakh Anzorov, the author of the attack. He is accused of complicity in terrorist assassination and faces life imprisonment. He is accused in particular of having accompanied the terrorist during the purchase of the murder weapon. Born in Chechnya, another point in common with the killer, the accused assures that he knew nothing of Anzorov’s plans.
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“ You know your file well, you know how to use words and you have the answer to everything “. It is with this observation that one of the Court’s assessors addresses Azim Epsirkhanov, one of the accused and childhood friend of Abdoullakh Anzorov, the assassin of Samuel Paty.
After several hours of interrogation, the 23-year-old young man, prosecuted for complicity in murder, remains upright, his hands behind his back covered in a suit jacket and a neat shirt in the accused box. He responds politely, sometimes with a little impertinent tone that makes the room smile. And it is in impeccable French that he expresses himself, which was not the case four years ago, at the time ofassassination of Samuel Paty about which he repeats that he knew nothing.
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“ Do you feel responsible? »
Before the judges, the young man who dreamed “ to join the French army » wants to convince of his innocence. But his proximity to Anzorov, particularly in the days preceding his crime, leaves the prosecution perplexed. While investigators determined that Anzorov had “ stopped his project » assassination from October 12, Azim Epsirkhanov and Anzorov will be in almost constant contact from October 13 to 16. However, says the accused, Anzorov “ never spoke to me about the teacher (Samuel Paty), the caricatures or the college “.
“ I’ve known him for a long time. He wasn’t like that. It’s unthinkable “, we hear him say in a voice message when he learns, on the day of the murder, that Anzorov is the number one suspect a few hours before going to the police on his own, without suspecting that he would immediately be placed in detention.
He was with him that morning and retrospectively remembers an unusual hug suggesting a farewell. He was also with him the day before, in the cutlery where Anzorov bought the murder weapon, passing it off as a gift for his grandfather. “ Do you feel responsible? »asked the prosecution. Response from the accused: “ Finding a weapon, buying a knife, Anzorov could have done it alone. I don’t know if I’m responsible for any logistics, but I don’t feel responsible for what he may have done next “, he replied. He is also suspected of having searched in vain for a firearm for the friend he called “ brother “.
“ But finally, the president finally wonders, weapon, knife… there is no alert » which is triggered? “ No », replies the accused who recognizes that this should have alarmed him. “ But it’s easier to say when you know the outcome » of the tragedy.
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