Saleh Abdelslam, once Europe’s most wanted man and the last surviving suspect of the 2015 Paris terror attacks, has accused European courts of denying Muslims the presumption of innocence, as he refused to answer questions on the first day of his trial in Belgium over the shootout that led to his capture.

"My silence does not make me a criminal, it's my defence," he said after claiming he had put his trust in Allah and that Muslims were "judged mercilessly" in Europe.

"I am not afraid of you, I am not afraid of your allies," Abdelslam, 28, told the court.

Sitting flanked by two armed and masked counter-terrorism policemen, his black hair and beard long, he added: "Let them base their case on forensic and tangible evidence, and not swagger about to satisfy public opinion.

"What I notice is that Muslims are judged and treated in the worst kind of ways. They are judged without mercy. There is no presumption of innocence, there's nothing."

Earlier he was transported in a midnight police convey by elite officers from his cell in the Fleury-Merogis prison near Paris, France to the imposing Palais De Justice court building in Brussels, which was transformed into a fortress for the four-day trial.