Prosecutors slam Jewish museum suspect's 'indecent' silence at trial

Prosecutors on Monday poured scorn on the "indecent" silence of a Frenchman accused of shooting dead four people at the Jewish museum in Brussels as they began their closing summary. French national Mehdi Nemmouche, 33, could face life in prison if found guilty of the attack on May 24, 2014. The prosecution said Nemmouche attacked the museum shortly after returning from Syria, where he had allegedly fought on behalf of jihadist groups, and rejected defence lawyers' claims of a conspiracy against him. Six days after the attack, he was arrested in the southern French port city of Marseille. Co-defendant Nacer Bendrer, a petty criminal from Marseille, is accused of supplying weapons. Aside from denying his guilt, Nemmouche has said almost nothing in the dock since his trial began on January 10. Prosecutor Bernard Michel dubbed his reticence to speak a "silence as indecent as it is provocative" in the start of closing arguments. The prosecution accuse Nemmouche of carrying out the first attack in Europe by a jihadist returning from fighting in Syria. The Brussels killings came 18 months before the November 13, 2015, Paris attacks which left 130 dead. A verdict is expected early next month in a jury trial with no right of appeal. The prosecutors said the evidence suggests there is "little room for doubt" as to Nemmouche's guil, and castigated defence lawyers' attempts to show there is a "conspiracy" against the accused. Defence counsel has suggested investigators doctored closed circuit television footage to muddy the case against him. "To try to get people to believe that this man is innocent, defence counsel does not hesitate to sully and trample on people's reputation and honour -- it's shocking and scandalous," prosecutor Yves Moreau told the court. A revolver and a Kalashnikov were found on Nemmouche, a petty criminal radicalised in prison, when he was arrested. The defence claims the Brussels assault was not inspired by the Islamic State group. Their theory is that the attack was a hit by the Israeli intelligence service targeting an Israeli couple who were among the victims. Defence counsel Sebastien Courtoy and Henri Laquay say they will expound on that theme in their closing on Thursday. Prosecutors slammed the reticence to talk of Mehdi Nemmouche, depicted on February 5 in this court drawing by Igor Preys Evidence against Nemmouche included this weapon displayed prior to the hearings -- on his arrest he was found in possession of an assault rifle and a revolver Map showing the location of the Jewish Museum of Belgium and the arrest of Nemmouche six days after the assault