[Times] Top Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam remained tight-lipped when questioned by a French anti-terror judge for the first time on Friday, one of his lawyers told media.Authorities had hoped he would shed some light on the operational details of the November attacks that killed 130, as well as provide clues as to whether other members of the wider jihadist cell are still at large.
But his lawyer Frank Berton said: "He did not want to say anything today" according to AFP.
The 26-year-old was prepared to speak at "a later date", the lawyer added.
"We need to give him time."
| Tell him he has about ten seconds... |
For months, he was the most wanted fugitive in Europe until he was tracked down and arrested on March 18 in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek where he grew up. Transferred to France on April 27, he is being held at Fleury-Merogis prison, southeast of Paris.
Abdeslam was brought for questioning in central Paris in a large black 4x4 vehicle with tinted windows, escorted by heavily armed elite police and with a helicopter flying overhead.
But although he had spoken to investigators while in custody in Belgium, he refused to cooperate on Friday. The Paris prosecutor's office said: "From the start, he exercised his right to remain silent by refusing to reply to questions from an investigating magistrate.