Suspected jihadis in Paris trial portray themselves as naive
December 07, 2015  23:41
One said he couldn't afford the bullets to load his gun in Syria, while another compared carrying a Kalashnikov to wearing a superhero costume. 

Most of the six men on trial in Paris for their alleged roles in a recruiting network for European Islamic extremist fighters portray themselves as amateur holy warriors grappling with a conflict way over their heads.

The central figure in the weeklong trial that closes on today is 35-year-old Salim Benghalem, a suspected Islamic State group commander wanted by the US and France. He is believed to be in Syria and is being judged in absentia.

Benghalem's wife, who left Syria with their children, has told investigators he would return to France only to carry out attacks not stand trial - aiming for "a series of killings." 

The trial was being held in the aftermath of the November 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people, stunned France and sent Europe into a state of high alert. The six French nationals present in court, sought to present themselves as far less ommitted to jihad than Benghalem.
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