Paris attacks suspect Abdeslam extradited to France, under formal investigation
Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was placed under formal investigation on terrorism and murder charges in France on April 27 after his extradition from Belgium, and he promised to talk to judges during his next hearing, his French lawyer said.
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A Belgium-born Frenchman, Abdeslam is believed by investigators to be the sole survivor among a group of Islamist militants who killed 130 people in a spate of shootings and suicide bombings in Paris on November 13.
"The investigation will determine to what degree he was involved in the acts ... for which he has been put under investigation," lawyer Frank Berton said after an initial hour-long hearing.
"He stayed silent today but said he would talk at a later stage," Berton said, adding that the next hearing was set for May 20. Abdeslam did not speak on April 27 because he was tired after a "quite rough" extradition, Berton said.
Abdeslam was placed under investigation on charges of belonging to a terrorist organization, murder, kidnapping and holding weapons and explosives, the public prosecutor said in a statement.
The kidnap charges relate to the hours-long attack on the Bataclan concert hall in which 90 people were killed.
Abdeslam, 26, was Europe's most wanted fugitive until his capture in Brussels on March 18 after a four-month manhunt. He was taken by helicopter to Paris under armed guard and then driven to the capital's main law courts.
French Justice Minister Jean-Jacques Urvoas said Abdeslam would be held in solitary confinement in a high-security prison in the Paris region, with his cell under CCTV surveillance.
