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An historic trial of 20 men accused of perpetrating the Paris terror attacks back in November 13, 2015, is set to begin later today.
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The Islamic State group's 2015 attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and hundreds injured had France stepping up efforts to fight the threat of terrorism.
Unprecedented in scale, the trial took nearly 2 years to prepare for the high-security proceedings in a secure complex embedded within a 13th-century courthouse.
The attacks happened at France's national soccer stadium, the Bataclan concert hall and Paris restaurants and cafes on November 13th, 2015. 9 gunmen and suicide bombers struck within minutes of each other.
Survivors, as well as those who mourned the dead are expected to pack the courtroom, in which the 20 perpetrators will be arraigned on charges of terrorism and conspiring to murder.
14 of the 20 accused will face trial in person while six more are being tried in absentia.
Slated to last for 9 months, the trial will see then-President Francois Hollande and relatives of the accused testify in court.
Although the proceedings will be recorded for archival purposes, none of the proceedings will be televised or rebroadcast to the public.
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