France: Man who killed three people says, ‘I am not a terrorist, I am a Muslim,’ and admits to beheading a woman ‘to instill fear’

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The third and final week of the trial for the alleged perpetrator of the knife attack that killed three people at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Nice in 2020 has begun. On Monday morning, during the questioning of the accused, Brahim Aouissaoui, who had previously claimed amnesia, admitted to the charges.

Brahim Aouissaoui, who had remained silent and invoked amnesia, broke his silence. Pressed by the president of the special assize court in Paris, the 25-year-old Tunisian, who has been on trial for the past two weeks for the October 29, 2020, knife attack that resulted in three deaths, finally confessed to his actions.

“Yes, I admit the facts,” said Aouissaoui. “I am not a terrorist; I am a Muslim,” he explained, justifying his actions by saying, “Every day, Muslims die. You kill Muslims every day, and you don’t care. You have no empathy for them.” He further asserted that the West indiscriminately kills “innocent” Muslims, and that taking revenge was both a “right and a truth.”

“Of course I am responsible,” he stated. Aouissaoui acknowledged that his victims—Nadine Devillers, 60; Vincent Loquès, 54; and Simone Barreto Silva, 44—were innocent, but he maintained, “Who kills newborns, children? You, your country. You hide the truth in the news. Show what is really happening in our country.”

When asked about his choice of victims, Aouissaoui described it as “random,” though he insisted, “Yes, it is right and true to kill people at random.” He explained that the killings were “legitimate” and his “right” to enact “justice,” despite admitting he had not planned the attack.

Although he spoke openly about his justifications, Aouissaoui was far less forthcoming about the details of the murders of the three parishioners with a kitchen knife. “I told you why I committed these acts, but I don’t remember how I did it,” he responded, cutting short further questions. He did admit, however, that decapitating Nadine Devillers was intended “to scare people,” to which the president remarked, “To scare, to spread terror—that’s exactly what terrorism is.”

Aouissaoui eventually acknowledged, “Every person is responsible for what they do, and of course I am responsible.” When asked about his previous claims of amnesia, he explained, “I didn’t want to talk.”

Since his arrest, Aouissaoui had maintained he had no memory of events between leaving Tunisia in September 2020 and carrying out the attack a month later. During the investigation, he had repeatedly claimed, “I don’t know,” and “I don’t remember.” However, just two days after the trial began, Aouissaoui confirmed that he was the person in surveillance footage from the basilica on the day of the attack, though he still did not directly admit to being the attacker.

Aouissaoui’s interrogation is scheduled for the entire day. The trial, which is set to run until Wednesday, concerns charges of murder and attempted murder linked to a terrorist enterprise. He faces a potential life sentence.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)