 At the trial, he claimed to have been tortured by the secret services and threatened by General Toufik in person to force him to sign a confession that he now repudiated.This confession stated that, coincidentally finding himself in the dentist's waiting room with Hachani, he spontaneously decided to kill Hachani because Hachani was a leading figure of the Djaz'ara (Algerianisation) wing of the Islamic Salvation Front, and pulled out his weapon, shot Hachani, and ran away.In this trial, he was questioned neither by his lawyer, Maître Khemis, nor by the prosecutor.