It may seem unbelievable, but it's true. The court has ruled that the glass partition imposed on Salah Abdeslam's visiting room since November 2025 is no longer justified, despite the USB key incident and the still exceptional level of surveillance.
The administrative court of Lille has ordered a relaxation of the visiting conditions for Salah Abdeslam at the Vendin-le-Vieil prison in Pas-de-Calais. Sentenced in 2022 to life imprisonment without parole, often referred to as a true life sentence, for his role in the November 13, 2015 attacks, he will once again be able to receive visitors in a visiting room without systematic physical separation. However, the court did not overturn his continued solitary confinement.
A return to the traditional visiting room after several months behind a glass partition
Since November 2025, visits to Salah Abdeslam have taken place behind a glass partition, preventing any direct contact with visitors. This stricter measure was implemented after the discovery of a USB drive in his detention. According to the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office, this drive contained documents that had "related to the official propaganda of terrorist organizations, Islamic State or Al-Qaeda"Investigators suspect that this key was given to him during a prison visit by his ex-partner, Maëva B.
The judges cite the lack of evidence against the other family members.
To justify lifting this physical barrier, the court considered that the prison administration had not provided any concrete evidence to suggest that other relatives authorized to visit him intended to smuggle in prohibited items. Several media outlets also report that these visits, most of which have been granted since 2016, have taken place without any reported incidents. In its ruling, the court further notes that, with regard to Salah Abdeslam himself, "as of the date of this ruling, no legal action has been taken" concerning the USB drive.
The court emphasizes the private and family life of the detainee
The administrative court also emphasized the need to preserve the prisoner's family ties. Salah Abdeslam has been subjected to almost continuous solitary confinement since his incarceration in France in 2016 and, in Vendin-le-Vieil, to particularly strict supervision since his final transfer in June 2024. In this context, the continued operation of a visiting room with a glass partition was deemed disproportionate to his private and family life.
A less stringent measure, within a still maximum surveillance system
The easing of his prison conditions by the court does not alter the rest of his prison regime. Salah Abdeslam remains in solitary confinement at Vendin-le-Vieil, a very high-security prison, under the status of a particularly dangerous inmate. Long described as the most closely monitored prisoner in France, he remains subject to exceptional surveillance, with repeated checks of his belongings and his movements within the prison.
The Maëva B. case continues to weigh on the file
Even if the physical separation in the visiting room is eliminated, the security situation remains extremely sensitive. Maëva B., Salah Abdeslam's former partner, has been formally charged and placed in pretrial detention in the USB drive case. She is also being prosecuted in a separate case related to a planned attack, which does not target Salah Abdeslam, but in which she has also been imprisoned along with other people in his circle. This ongoing situation continues to fuel the vigilance of prison authorities regarding the sole surviving member of the November 13th attacks.
