Paris Trial to revisit most painful chapter

Fourteen people accused of helping jihadist gunmen storm the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket went on trial in Paris yesterday.

The events that began on January 7, 2015 sparked a series of attacks on French soil, including "lone wolf" killings by people said to be inspired by the Islamic State group that have since claimed more than 250 lives.

Hearings began under heavy security as 11 of the suspects appeared in the courtroom, facing charges of conspiracy in a terrorist act or association with a terror group.

Three others fled to IS-held territory in Syria days before the attacks and are being tried in absentia.

Charlie Hebdo, whose taboo-shattering style makes it a beacon of free speech for many, marked the trial's opening by republishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed that had angered Muslims.

"That's the essence of the Charlie Hebdo spirit: It's refusing to give up our freedoms, our laughter, and even our blasphemy," the paper's lawyer, Richard Malka, said.

Over the next 2 1/2 months the trial will revisit one of the most painful chapters in France's modern history.