I'm not ashamed, Paris attacks suspect says

Salah Abdeslam, the man suspected of having a role in the 2015 Paris attacks, has said in a letter that he was ‘not ashamed’, according to French media

Suspect Salah Abdeslam has refused to respond to questions from French judges about the attacks
Suspect Salah Abdeslam has refused to respond to questions from French judges about the attacks

The main suspect in the Paris attacks said he was "not ashamed" in a letter to a woman who has been writing to him in prison, according to extracts published in the French press on Friday.

Suspect Salah Abdeslam has refused to respond to questions from French judges about the November 13, 2015 attacks in which 130 people died at the hands of militants from the Islamic State. Yet in correspondence with an anonymous woman published by the daily newspaper Liberation, after consulting with him, Abdeslam appeared "talkative for the first time," the paper said.

"First of all, I'm not afraid of letting anything slip because I'm not ashamed of what I am -- and then what worse could be said than what's already been said," Abdeslam wrote, according to the extract from his investigation file.

"I'm writing to you without knowing how to start, I got all your letters and I don't know whether I've enjoyed them or not, they definitely let me spend a bit of time in the outside world," he continued.

"Since you've been straightforward I will be too, if I ask you what your intentions are it's to reassure myself that you don't love me like a 'star' or an 'idol' because I get messages like that and I don't endorse that because the only person who deserves to be adored is Allah," he wrote.

According to Liberation, Abdeslam received messages from a number of correspondents. The newspaper cites sources with knowledge of his file, who said: "Catholics write to him to question him about his faith, women express their love and desire to carry his child, lawyers offer their services incessantly." However, Abdeslam only replied to this one woman, whose last letter came from a Côte-d'Or post, the newspaper wrote.

The 27-year-old was transferred to France from Belgium in April following his arrest in a police raid in Brussels during which he was shot in the leg.

His two lawyers said in October they would no longer defend him given his refusal to answer questions.

The Belgian-born French national is believed to be the only militant survivor of the attacks in the French capital.

Abdeslam is accused of having provided logistical support to the seven attackers who died at the various scenes of the terror attacks, including the Bataclan concert hall, the Stade de France national stadium, and several bars and restaurants in central Paris.