-
Trump warns 'all hell' will break loose if Gaza hostages not returned
-
Trump warns of 'all hell' if Gaza captives not freed by Saturday
-
Trump signs executive orders on steel, aluminum tariffs
-
Elon Musk heads group trying to buy control of OpenAI: report
-
Young, Irving replace Giannis, Davis in NBA All-Star line-ups
-
US judges challenge Trump cuts as legal battles mount
-
Celtic's Maeda cleared to face Bayern Munich
-
Global stock markets brush off latest Trump tariffs
-
Union sues over US consumer protection agency work pause
-
Inter a point behind leaders Napoli after squeezing past Fiorentina
-
Palace sink Doncaster to book clash with rivals Millwall
-
Ntamack banned for Italy game despite France efforts
-
Duterte's future in balance as Philippine election season kicks off
-
At least 55 dead after Guatemala bus plunges into ravine
-
Ronaldo reaches deal with Saudi club Al Nassr to extend contract: source
-
Man City still worst opponent for Real Madrid, says Ancelotti
-
Trump team orders work pause at US consumer protection agency
-
'Just not ready' - Tiger Woods pulls out of Torrey Pines tournament
-
Zelensky to meet JD Vance in Munich on Friday: Kyiv presidency
-
Church of England meets amid 'crisis' over abuse scandals
-
Macron vows at summit France to 'deliver' on AI acceleration
-
NY jury hears attacker 'dangerously close' to killing Salman Rushdie
-
Steel at heart of new Trump trade war
-
Hamas says stops Gaza hostage release 'until further notice'
-
Cycling: five rough diamonds who dream of being the new Pogacar
-
'I don't have time': Mother of jailed UK-Egyptian makes Starmer plea
-
Feyenoord coach Priske pays for 'lack of chemistry'
-
White S. Africans clamour for US resettlement after Trump order
-
Kanye West's account on X goes dark after hate-filled rant
-
US federal workers weigh Trump buyout as court to step in
-
Global stocks markets brush off Trump tariffs
-
Venice extends tourist tax for 2025
-
McDonald's profits dented by food poisoning outbreak
-
Six arrested after migrants' bodies found on French beach
-
Mikaela Shiffrin: World Ski Championships throwback
-
NY jury hears attacker repeatedly stabbed Salman Rushdie
-
Labour impact and trade windfall on agenda at Paris AI summit
-
At least 51 dead after Guatemala bus plunges into ravine
-
Almost half of remote French island hit by wildfire: official
-
Trump: Palestinians have no right of return under Gaza plan
-
Trump to impose new 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum
-
Did cuts to shipping emissions spur more global warming?
-
British Open announces place for LIV Golf player
-
Swiatek starts bid for fourth straight Doha title with comfortable win
-
Global stocks markets push higher despite more Trump tariffs
-
Nestle share slump adds pressure on new boss
-
Guardiola challenges Man City to show they are still 'special' against Real Madrid
-
Williamson's century guides New Zealand into final despite Breetzke's record
-
Spain boss Tome denies 'punishing' Hermoso after forced kiss
-
Iran president says Trump aiming to bring country 'to its knees'
Tunisian accused says cannot remember 2020 France church killings
A Tunisian man went on trial Monday accused of stabbing to death three people in a church in the southern French city of Nice in 2020, but his insistence that he had no recollection of the events provoked anger among relatives of the victims.
Brahim Aouissaoui, 25, is being tried at a special court in Paris and faces life in jail if convicted. The murderous rampage on October 29, 2020 was one of a number of deadly incidents in France blamed on Islamist radicals since 2015.
Aouissaoui, speaking in Arabic through an interpreter, with his long hair combed back and a short beard, confirmed his identity as the trial opened.
He has insisted he has no memory of the attack and told the court: "I don't remember the facts. I have nothing to say because I don't remember anything."
A cry of rage and despair sounded from court benches reserved for the relatives of victims and their lawyers.
Presiding judge Christophe Petiteau told gendarmes to expel one man who shouted abuse at Aouissaoui.
Aouissaoui has also said he does not know the name of his lawyer.
"When I talk to him, I have the impression -- but again I'm not a doctor or an expert -- I have the impression that he doesn't understand the issues of this trial, that he doesn't understand the stakes of this case," his lawyer Martin Mechin told reporters outside the court.
- 'Very exaggerated' -
According to prosecutors, armed with a kitchen knife, Aouissaoui almost decapitated Nadine Vincent, a 60-year-old worshipper, stabbed 44-year-old Franco-Brazilian mother Simone Barreto Silva 24 times and slit the throat of the sacristan Vincent Loques, 55, a father of two daughters.
Seriously injured by police after the attack, Aouissaoui has always insisted that he does not remember anything.
However, his medical examination did not reveal any brain damage and a psychiatric assessment concluded that there was no impairment of his judgement at the time of the events.
His telephone conversations in prison have also shown "that his alleged amnesia was at the very least very exaggerated", according to the prosecution.
His behaviour is a "fictitious amnesia" or even "deception", according to Philippe Soussi, a lawyer for the husband of one victim and of the French Association of Victims of Terrorism (AFVT), adding that the accused's "radicalisation is old and deep".
- 'Commit an attack' -
Aouissaoui arrived in Europe from Tunisia the month before the attack, first crossing the Mediterranean to Italy and then going to France overland.
On the morning of the attack, Aouissaoui entered the Basilica of Notre-Dame in the heart of Nice, carrying a copy of the Koran, three knives and two mobile phones, according to prosecutors.
They have argued that he already intended to "commit an attack in France" before leaving Tunisia, pointing to a "proven radicalisation and association with individuals involved in terrorist cases" in Tunisia.
The accused is to be cross-examined on February 24 and the trial is due to last until February 26.
The Nice killings came two weeks after history teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee for having shown his pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a lesson on freedom of speech.
Aouissaoui was shot several times by police after the killings and continued to shout "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) as he was being arrested.
French intelligence had nothing on file relating to Aouissaoui prior to the attack.
He hails from a large family in the Tunisian city of Sfax.
His mother said he repaired motorcycles and described how he had taken to prayer in the years before he left.
"He didn't go out and didn't communicate with others," she told AFP shortly after the attack.
D.Schneider--BTB