Trial of the November 13 attacks: “We saw a carpet of bodies”, testifies one of the first police officers to enter – franceinfo

He testified anonymously before the Special Assize Court, on the tenth day of the trial for the attacks of November 13, 2015. THEhe deputy head of the night anti-crime brigade (Bac) in Paris, the first police officer to enter the Bataclan with his teammate on the evening of the attack, recounted his intervention on Wednesday 22 September. “We were down [de notre véhicule] since not even 30 seconds since the scene was totally apocalyptic, with incessant gunshots, remembered this commissioner. The doors swung open, a compact mass ran towards us screaming. About thirty people in my memory. “

Once inside the performance hall, the two policemen discovered “a body mat”. “People were thrown at each other. Bodies entangled, mixed up, he continued. My first thought was to ask myself: ‘how did they manage to kill so many people in such a short time?’“ Hearing one of the terrorists ask a hostage to lie on the ground, the two policemen shot in his direction and hit him. The assailant then triggered his explosive belt.

“A few seconds later, an explosion sounded in the ceiling, rather above the pit with a sort of crackle and rain of confetti that turned out to be human flesh. We didn’t really see the explosion. , not the exploded body ” # 13November2015

– Juliette Campion (@JulietteCampion) September 22, 2021

Targeted by shots “weapons of war”, the two Bac officials came out before entering the Bataclan again with initial reinforcements. “This is the most painful and longest moment: we had taken a stand but we could not move forward “, explained this policeman, recounting how they nevertheless began to rescue the first wounded before the Search and Intervention Brigade stormed shortly after midnight. “That night we did the best we could and even went beyond our operational capabilities, recalled the commissioner of the Bac. We would have liked to do more and this weight of guilt has accompanied the police since that day. “