Prime suspect of Paris attacks invokes right to silence in court

The only surviving member and masterminder of the deadly Paris attacks staged last November, Salah Abdeslam invoked his right to silence when he appeared in a French court yesterday.

According to his lawyer, Frank Berton, Abdeslam refused to utter a word when he was faced with a barrage of questions amid frustration by judges who were hoping that his testimony will throw more light on the strategies of a growing ISIS network across Europe.

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Berton, said his client invoked his right to silence. While Abdeslam did not give a direct reason, Berton said he was “disturbed” by 24-hour video surveillance in his maximum-security cell in the Fleury-Merogis prison outside Paris.

“He can’t bear being watched on video 24 hours a day,” Berton told reporters. “It bothers him, and that doesn’t make him want to collaborate with the judicial investigation.”

The hearing of Abdeslam who was paraded in court for the first time since he was extradited from Belgium ended abruptly on Friday, dashing French authorities’ hopes that Abdeslam would provide more details about the strategies of ISIS and the individuals behind the Paris attacks.

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