Huddled together at an outdoor cafe table in Paris, immersed in animated conversation, Azdyne Amimour and Georges Salines look like typical old friends. Admittedly, they’re something of an odd couple: Amimour, a French-Algerian in a flat cap, sneaks in a cigarette; Salines, a white, French retired doctor, has just locked up his bicycle and arrives in cycling gear. This is a friendship borne of extraordinary circumstances.
The date of 13 November 2015 is as deeply etched into Parisians’ memory as 9/11 is in the minds of New Yorkers. That night, six separate Islamist terror attacks occurred in Paris, killing 130 people. The most deadly of all was at the Bataclan theatre, where three gunmen opened fire on a packed crowd during a gig, killing 90 people. Salines’ 28-year-old daughter, Lola, was one of the victims. Amimour’s son, Samy, also 28, was one of the attackers.
