The trial of 20 men accused of the 2015 attack that claimed the lives of 130 people in Bataclan, Paris, has begun.
The trial began under high security in Paris, as the only surviving attacker, Salah Abdeslam, appeared in a black short sleeved shirt, long trousers and a black mask, almost six years after the attack.
The other defendants were taken one by one into a glass-enclosed box at the side of the courtroom, surrounded by armed officers.
Twenty men have been charged but six of them will be tried absentia with Abdasalem being the only defendant charged with murder.
The defendants were called in alphabetical order, and Abdeslam was first and he was asked to identify himself at the trial.
Requested to state his profession, Abdeslam said his “ambition is to become a fighter for Islamic State.”
According to a report from Reuters, at least 1,000 police officers have been deployed to the Palais de Justice courthouse.
The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, has warned the terrorist threat is especially high at times like the attack’s trial, which is due to start on Wednesday morning.
Survivors of the attacks as well as those who mourn their dead packed the rooms, which were designed to hold 1,800 plaintiffs and over 300 lawyers.
Dominique Kielemoes, whose son bled to death at one of the cafes that night, said the month dedicated to victims’ testimonies at the trial will be crucial to both their own healing and that of the nation.
“The assassins, these terrorists, thought they were firing into the crowd, into a mass of people. But it wasn’t a mass ,these were individuals who had a life… had hopes and expectations…It’s important” she said.
Gunmen with suicide vests attacked within minutes of each other six bars and restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and a sports stadium in the French capital in November 2015 in a deadly jihadist rampage, which also wounded hundreds.
The attack is the worst post-world war 2 atrocity in France.