The sole surviving suspect from the 2015 Paris terror attacks refused to speak any further in a Belgian court, where his trial over the gunfight that led to his arrest began on Monday.

Salah Abdeslam said he would not respond to questions from the judge.

“My silence does not make me a criminal, it’s my defence,” he said.

Abdeslam, 28, claimed that Muslims were “judged and treated in the worst of ways, mercilessly”, and said he was placing his trust in Allah.

“I am not afraid of you, I am not afraid of your allies,” he added, without making clear who he meant.

He urged the prosecution to base its case on “forensic and tangible evidence”, and not to “swagger about to satisfy public opinion”.

The trial in Brussels was adjourned until Thursday.