(Jewish Group) French journalists face former Isis torturer and accused killer in Brussels court
Mehdi Nemmouche is on trial in Brussels until early March, accused of murdering an Israeli couple, a French volunteer and a receptionist at the Jewish museum in Brussels in May 2014.
The testimony of four French journalists, who say they recognise Nemmouche as the man who guarded and tortured them during their detention in Syria from June 2013 until April 2014, was expected to be a key moment in the trial.
Two journalists preferred not to relive the ordeal, but on Thursday, Didier François and Nicolas Hénin spent 3½ hours telling the jury in the high court about the 33-year-old Franco-Algerian who is alleged to have carried out the first atrocity in Europe by Islamic State, also known as Isis.
“I would describe him as sadistic, playful and narcissistic,” Hénin said. “He played with us, as if he were creating a role for himself in the theatre. He made little jokes. For example, he said September 11th should be a holiday, and he refused to give us food that day.”
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