The international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal has gone on trial in Paris accused of carrying out four deadly bombings in France that killed 11 people and wounded almost 150.
The 62-year-old has made no secret of his past as the leader of a gang that carried out attacks on behalf of intelligence agencies and far-left or pro-Palestinian causes, but denies the latest French charges.
"I'm a professional revolutionary," he told judge Olivier Leurent, appearing cheerful and relaxed.
Carlos Ilich Ramirez Sanchez waved and gave a clenched fist revolutionary salute to supporters struggling to find space alongside dozens of journalists.
He leaned on the dock, smiling and chatting with his guards, and appeared entirely at ease.
When, during his testimony, he denounced Israel's "racist state" and "Zionist exploiters" there were cheers from the gallery.
Speaking before the hearing, French stand-up comic Dieudonne Mbala Mbala, an activist close to far-right circles who has been convicted of anti-Semitism, demanded "Commander Carlos" be allowed to return home to Venezuela.
Ramirez Sanchez's lawyers kept up the atmosphere of spectacle, denouncing the "unfair trial" before a panel of anti-terrorism magistrates, without a jury.
Ramirez Sanchez was arrested in Sudan in 1994 and transferred to France, where he has since been held in various jails.
In 1997, he was convicted of the 1975 murder of a civilian and two policemen and jailed for life.
Six weeks of hearings are scheduled, during which Ramirez Sanchez will return nightly under tight guard to his cell in the French capital's high-security La Sante prison. The trial is due to end on 16 December.
Around 20 witnesses are expected to be called, including family members, experts and former accomplices.
