A suspected extremist insisted Tuesday that he's innocent of terrorism charges over the 2014 killing of four people at Belgium's Jewish museum, as the jury in his trial prepared to consider its verdict.
Weeks after telling the Brussels criminal court that he would reveal the truth "when the time is right," Mehdi Nemmouche on Tuesday said only that he was "trapped" into involvement in the slaying.
"If I could change things, I would change everything," the 33-year-old Frenchman, wearing a black shirt and top and flanked by police officers in ski masks, said in remarks lasting less than 20 seconds.
Mr Nemmouche is charged with four counts of 'terrorist murder' over the killing of an Israeli couple and two staffers at the Brussels Jewish Museum. His alleged accomplice, Nacer Bendrer, 30, stands accused of supplying the revolver and assault rifle used in the shooting.
Prosecutors claim that Mr Nemmouche trained and fought with ISIS in Syria. The museum shooting compounded fears that European extremists would use combat experience from places like Syria or Iraq to sow terror back home.
The 12-member jury is set to hand down its verdict on Thursday. In a secret ballot, the jury must decide by a majority vote whether Mr Nemmouche is guilty. He will likely be sentenced on Friday, and could face up to 30 years in prison.
Whatever the verdict, Mr Nemmouche would remain in prison as he must face charges in France of taking hostages in Syria.
For most of the trial, Mr Nemmouche has exercised his right to silence, but on Tuesday he urged the jury not to take that silence as "disrespect."
In more than six hours of case summary last week, defence lawyer Sebastien Courtoy argued that Iranian or Lebanese security officials were behind the killings, and that one, or both, of the murdered Israelis could have been Mossad agents.
Michele Hirsch, a lawyer for the Coordination Committee of Jewish Organisations in Belgium, described Mr Courtoy's summary as "hallucinatory, delirious, completely incoherent."
In his final remarks to the jury on Monday, Mr Courtoy said: "It's impossible for you not to have some doubt. For me, it's just not possible."
"It might feel more comfortable for you to condemn him," he said. "But if you think he's innocent, please, don't be afraid to say it."
Addressing the jury, Mr Nemmouche's co-accused, Mr Bendrer said: "Today I'm scared, I didn't do anything. But I'm scared. I say to myself, maybe they didn't understand."
Hamilton profile
Age 32
Country United Kingdom
Grands Prix entered 198
Pole positions 67
Wins 57
Podiums 110
Points 2,423
World Championships 3
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
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MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
more from Janine di Giovanni
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.