November 13 trial: “Being helpful and committing an attack are not the same!”

He speaks sometimes in French, sometimes in Arabic. Shaved hair, eyeglasses, white shirts with small patterns, Adel Haddadi, 34, left his country on February 15, 2015, heading for Turkey, then Syria, before returning to Europe with others, at the autumn 2015. Two days after crossing the Turkish-Syrian border, the Algerian was arrested in Greece on October 3, 2015 with three other men: the Pakistani Muhammad Usman (accused in the box) and the two Iraqis Ahmad el Mohammad and Mohamad Alhammod. The first two will be kept in detention on the island of Kos for a month, before being able to continue the migrant route to Europe and being arrested again in Salzburg on December 10, 2015.

Meanwhile, the other two, not worried by the Greek authorities, continued on their way before blowing themselves up on November 13 in front of the Stade de France. Adel Haddadi recognizes “that a suicide mission“he had been “entrusted” like the three others by Osama Atar, sponsor of the Paris attacks, whom he met in Syria.

He then details having left his country in early 2015 because he “ask a lot of questions”. “My projects, my life, it was always the same thing. I had no way to move forward. Nothing worked, my neighborhood, my problems.” He also cites “the humanitarian” as motivation.

Then explains that he crossed paths with a certain Abou Ali in Turkey, “a Syrian from the Free Syrian Army”, of whom no trace will be found, who would have convinced him to join the fighters of the Islamic State. Of the seven months spent in the area – two in the border town of Al rai, the rest in Raqqa – Adel Haddadi says he only did one week of military and religious training. The rest of the time he says he was “to cook” in the two houses where he was lodged.

“Why did Osama Atar choose you for a suicide mission? You say you went to Syria to do humanitarian work, that you spent two months in a house cooking. ‘Islamic State?’ questions the president of the special assize court Jean-Louis Périès. “Maybe he also understood that I couldn’t say no, I think that’s it…” Why couldn’t he refuse? “Everything that was asked of me… I was a helpful person”, justifies the accused. “Finally, being helpful and committing an attack are not the same!”, the president is indignant

Adel Haddadi also explains that he had “fear of reprisals from the Islamic State” if he refused the mission. He claims to have never had details of either the location or the projected date of the attacks. Osama Atar, however, seems to consider him as a trusted Adel Haddadi. He gives him a telephone, sends him money, and stays in touch with him, even after his arrest in Salzburg, by sending him messages that will be found by the Austrian investigators. On December 11 and 15, 2015, the sponsor of the Paris attacks sent several text messages to Adel Haddadi: “Yes but not yet”, “the medicine is not good”, “you know”, “and you honey how are you”, “what are you becoming”.

“Why while you are in a refugee camp in Austria do you maintain contact with Abu Ahmad?”, questions the Advocate General, not fooled. “I tried to stop it but I couldn’t find the right word. I wanted to get out of it. I thought about it, I didn’t”, said Adel Haddadi. “The attacks were over, Abu Ahmad is in Syria, you had nothing more to fear”, reminds the representative of the public ministry before adding: “The ‘medicine is not good’ sounds a bit like a code: ‘stay in Salzburg for a while, wait for the situation to calm down’.”

Me Topaloff, civil party lawyer, questions the accused in turn and asks him what he thinks of the GIA. “It’s a terrorist group in Algeria. I’m against it.” “As you are today against Daesh”, continues the lawyer. “Yeah I’m against”, continues the accused. “So you condemn the attacks that were committed in Paris?”, continues the black dress. “I condemn all acts of violence in the world”, assures Adel Haddadi. “Finally, fortunately, you were arrested before”, raises the lawyer. “I made mistakes, I’m here to take a sentence, to be condemned, but I accept that”, admits the accused.

His lawyer, Léa Dordilly, then asks him if he “takes responsibility”. He nods. “I followed people who committed crimes in France who killed innocent people. I joined these people.” Prosecuted for participation in a criminal terrorist conspiracy, Adel Haddadi faces 20 years in prison.