Trial of November 13: Abdelhamid Abaaoud’s family “skeptical” about his death

He was heard by video from the premises of the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office, seated on the same chair that has been used since the end of November by investigators specializing in anti-terrorism. Abdelhamid Abaaoud’s little brother Yassine, 26, appeared on screen wearing black pants, and a white hooded sweatshirt, short brown hair, black mask. “My name is Yassine Abaaoud, I was born on August 17, 1995. I am a student and single “, he begins.

The president then reminds him of the rule: “French law provides that you must make a spontaneous statement. What can you tell us?” “I am sorry for all the victims, the innocent people killed in the four corners of the world. I do not know if I will be able to be of great help in relation to this trial,” warns the young man.

In the absence of a spontaneous declaration, the president of the special assize court, Jean-Louis Périès, then asked him questions about his brother, the presumed operational chief of the attacks of November 13, 2015. “Regarding my brother Abdelhamid, I don’t know anything. Our family is in doubt because we have not seen his body, nor a photo. There are legends circulating to say that he is still alive and that it is not he who committed these attacks “, explains Yassine Abaaoud. Several times during his audition he will repeat that the family was “skeptical” as to his death.

About the radicalization of his elder brother and his macabre projects, he assures us that he was ignorant of everything. “I don’t understand why I was detained in Morocco”, affirms Yassine Abaaoud. He was sentenced there for “apology for terrorism” and “non-denunciation of terrorist crimes ” after the departure of his brother Abdelhamid Abaaoud in Syria in January 2014, with their little brother Younès, then 13 years old.

“My brother left the family home when he was 16, I did not know his activities, his associates. After a stay in Egypt, I never saw him again “, he assures. He claims to have last had it on the phone in January 2015. “He said there had just been the Charlie Hebdo attacks and that was just the start.”

The president and his two assessors then confront him with several contradictions during his interrogations. Several times, Yassine Abaaoud denies having made the remarks reported in the minutes. He also denies that his brother Abdelhamid asked him to join him in Syria, to have been in contact with the accused, or to have helped the terrorists.

Me Giffard, civil party lawyer, tries to get answers differently: “You lost two brothers (The little Younès would also have died in Syria editor’s note) it must have caused a shock in your family … “.” I prefer not to talk about it “, retorts Yassine Abaaoud.

She takes back :“For the civil parties…”. The witness interrupts him:“I’ll answer you. My family broke up, basically it wasn’t easy for anybody. We still hope for my little brother’s return. And we’re still paying the price today. We were big guys. traders without history and everything has changed. Living here in Belgium without my parents. My parents are separated. It was not easy and it is still not easy “.

He pursues :“My mother said his eyes didn’t always take enough advantage of my little brother. It broke our hearts, it’s mostly him, he didn’t know where he was going”. He then begins to cry and confused, asks the lawyer to repeat his question. “We have all received a good education. We know what is right and wrong. As far as events are concerned, the situation has escaped us”, he continues.

And to conclude: “No one warned me about the dangers. I was a student, I had a girlfriend. The police came to get me. They wanted to use me as a pawn to get to my brother. Thank goodness, I’m still here. I could have switched to another camp, to another universe. “