Salah Abdeslam, the last known survivor of the team that carried out last November's Paris attacks, is refusing to talk to authorities amid frustration over 24-hour video surveillance of his cell, his lawyer said.
After the highly anticipated questioning session ended abruptly, Abdeslam's lawyer, Frank Berton, said his client invoked his right to silence. Berton said his client was "disturbed" by 24-hour video surveillance in his maximum-security cell in a prison outside Paris.
"He can't bear being watched on video 24 hours a day," Berton told reporters. "It bothers him, and that doesn't make him want to collaborate with the judicial investigation."
Abdeslam said months ago that he may be willing to talk and describe his transformation into an Islamic jihadist. But after being held in isolation, he has refused.
"Other than me, he sees no one," Berton said. "He doesn't speak. ... He is in total isolation. That necessarily has very strong repercussions on his psyche and personality."
Abdeslam was captured on March 18 near his childhood home in Brussels. Four days later, Islamic terrorists detonated their explosives in the Brussels airport and metro, killing 32 people.