2 on trial for alleged aid to last year’s Paris attackers

VIENNA – An Austrian court has opened the trial of two men accused of aiding Islamic extremists who killed 130 people in Paris more than a year ago.

The 26-year old Moroccan and the 41-year-old Algerian are accused of being couriers and informants for the Paris attackers, with evidence including the find of a SIM card containing contacts of Islamic State radicals in a wallet carried by the Algerian.

Their lawyers said Wednesday that the men are innocent. Georg Zimmer, who represents the Algerian, said his client was given the wallet “through a chance acquaintanceship,” without knowing anything about what it contained and was asked to pass it on to another man who was later arrested on suspicion of contacts with IS.

The two were not identified due to Austrian confidentiality laws.

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