‘I am not a murderer,’ Paris attacks defendant maintains

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY and BARBARA SURK
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The only surviving suspected member of the Islamic State attack team that terrorized Paris in 2015 has pleaded for leniency during his final court appearance. Salah Abdeslam is on trial along with 19 other men suspected of playing major roles in the Islamic State massacres in a Paris music hall, cafes and the national stadium on the night of November 13, 2015. French prosecutors demanded a life sentence for Abdeslam for his role in the attacks that killed 130 people and wounded more than 400. The defendant apologized to victims, acknowledged mistakes but declared Monday: “I am not a murderer”. A verdict in the historic trial is expected on Wednesday.