It would be impossible for Traoré Lassina Tagara, 60, to forget the night of 17-18 November 2015. He had lived at 48, rue de la République in Saint-Denis for fourteen years, in a T2 lent by one of his relatives. On the 17th, a temporary worker at the building noticed the presence of two strangers in the building, whom he did not suspect of being the perpetrators of the deadly attacks that hit the country four days earlier. At night, he was forced to leave his house without knowing that he would never be able to return there.
How did the attack start?
Like every night, I left the key in the steel-plated door, because there were many robberies in the building. At 4am, a loud explosion woke me up. I immediately thought of the gas cylinder. Since all the stairs were made of wood, I knew I had to get down quickly in case a fire broke out. The only thing I brought with me was the key I hung around my neck. I still have it.
As soon as I opened the door, I was blown away by the spotlights and smoke from the explosion. I have to fight
