The resumption of the hearing risks being postponed once again. One of the accused in the trial of the November 13 attacks, who presented symptoms of Covid-19 on Friday, tested positive on Saturday January 15.
Ali El Haddad Asufi is one of 11 defendants appearing detained. He was “subjected to a self-test (Friday) evening which turned out to be positive”, indicated the president of the special assize court of Paris, Jean-Louis Périès, in a message sent to the lawyers.
The positivity of this test was confirmed by one of Ali El Haddad Asufi’s lawyers, Me Martin Méchin. His client has yet to undergo a PCR test.
Ali El Haddad Asufi, who is “not vaccinated”, “presented symptoms yesterday (Friday) at the hearing” and “was a little isolated in the box”, according to his lawyer. “He has always been present, he does not want the hearing to take place without him,” added Martin Méchin. The resumption of the hearing on Tuesday is thus strongly compromised.
The health situation had already disrupted the resumption of the trial, in early January after a two-week break: the main defendant, Salah Abdeslam, had contracted Covid in prison at the end of December and was still positive. A counter-expertise having concluded on Monday that Salah Abdeslam was “cured” and “not contagious”, the hearing resumed on Tuesday with the start of the interrogations of the accused.