Salah Abdeslam: Historic trial into 2015 Paris terror attacks set to deliver verdict

euronews.com:

France's historic trial into the November 2015 attacks in Paris is set to deliver a verdict on Wednesday. 

It's taken nearly ten months of testimony and questioning to get to this point.

The gun and bomb attacks saw 130 people killed across the French capital, including the Bataclan music venue, restaurants, bars and the national stadium.

Salah Abdeslam and 19 other men are in the dock, accused of playing critical roles in the country's worst peacetime attacks. 

Only 14 of them have appeared in court, with the other six being tried in absentia. 

In closing arguments earlier this month, French prosecutors demanded a life sentence without a possibility of parole for Abdeslam. They charged him with multiple counts of murder, complicity to murder, belonging to a terrorist organisation and taking part in a conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping as a member of a terrorist organisation.

Abdeslam apologised to the victims on Monday, saying his remorse for those killed and wounded was heartfelt and sincere.

“Who can make an insincere apology for so much suffering?” Abdeslam said. He acknowledged he has made mistakes, but declared: “I am not a murderer, I am not a killer."

Abdeslam stayed silent about what happened on 13 November 2015. Since his trial opened in September, he had a few outbursts of extremist bravado but refused to answer most questions.

In April, his words started flowing and he gave a lengthy testimony over several days that at times contradicted earlier statements, including his loyalty to the Islamic State.

As the only alleged member of the Paris attackers who did not join the self-proclaimed IS caliphate in Syria, he told the court that he was a last-minute add-on to the group. He said he “renounced” his mission to