[UPDATED] Suspected mastermind of Paris terror attacks is 'active ISIL extremist'
French authorities have reportedly identified the suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks as a 28-year-old Belgian, who may have also tried to orchestrate earlier thwarted attacks on trains and churches.
The Associated Press and French media have quoted senior officials as saying Belgian Abdelhamid Abaaoud is the mastermind of the deadly attacks, that killed 129 people.
Abaaoud, who has fought along the Islamic State (ISIL) group in Syria and has been on the run since police stormed a jihadist cell in eastern Belgium's Verviers in January, is believed to have financed and organised the attacks.
French radio station RTL said authorities consider the 28-year-old “one of the most active extremists” linked to ISIL in Syria.
He has been linked to plotted attacks in Belgium and is wanted in Greece.
"It's a serious hypothesis," a French source close the investigation told AFP, adding that Abaaoud is still living in Syria -- large areas of which are ISIL-controlled.
Abaaoud, who in July was sentenced in absentia by a Belgian court to 20 years in prison, was in contact with at least one of the Abdeslam brothers.
Brahim Abdeslam was one of the suicide attackers in Paris, and his brother Salah is being hunted by police.
"Abaaoud and Salah Abdeslam knew each other and were involved in the same petty crimes," the French source said.
"This element and Abaaoud's fanaticism in Syria allow us to link him to the attacks," the source said, warning however that it was still "too early" to make a conclusion.
Earlier Monday, Belgium's Flemish-language newspaper De Standaard ran a story linking the bomber, Brahim Abdeslam, to Abaaoud.
Both Abdeslam, a Belgium-based Frenchman who blew himself up outside a bar on Boulevard Voltaire, and Abaaoud lived in the Brussels district of Molenbeek which has a reputation as a hotbed of Islamist militancy.
Abaaoud has been at large since a Belgian police raided an IS cell that he allegedly led in Verviers in January.
The cell had been planning to murder Belgian police officers days after the Paris attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a Jewish supermarket.
In an interview with ISIL's magazine Dabiq, which was published after he returned to Syria from Belgium after the raid, Abaaoud gloated about his escape.
"My name and picture were all over the news yet I was able to stay in their homeland, plan operations against them, and leave safely when doing so became necessary," said Abaaoud, who is identified in the magazine as Abu Umar al-Baljiki.
In the interview, he describes setting up a safe house along with two other jihadists in Belgium -- who were slain in the January raid -- and obtaining weapons "while we planned to carry out operations against the crusaders."
Abaaoud's father Omar told La Derniere Heure Belgian newspaper in January that his son "brought shame" and "destroyed" the family.
"Why in the name of God, would he want to kill innocent Belgians? Our family owes everything to this country," the jihadist's father said.
"We had a wonderful life, yes, even a fantastic life here ... Abdelhamid was not a difficult child and became a good businessman," the father was quoted as saying.
French counter-terrorism police seized a rocket launcher and arrested five people in the city of Lyon as part of a wave of raids following the deadly Paris attacks that claimed 129 lives.
According to French BFM TV police carried out a raid in Lyon and have taken five people into custody. A rocket launcher was also seized at the scene.
The arrests come after French authorities launched a string of pre-dawn operations, with crack counter-terrorism police raiding homes across Toulouse, Grenoble, Calais, Bobigny, and Jeumont, near the Belgian border.
Three people were earlier detained during the Toulouse raid.
The operation was centred on various locations in Mirail, the former home of Mohamed Merah, the Islamic militant who killed three Jewish children, a rabbi and three paratroopers in 2012. Weapons and drugs were seized at the scene.
However the raids were not directly connected to the Paris attacks, but rather part of a broader anti-terrorism operation, according to AFP.
It is unknown how the Lyons operation fits in.
The officers involved are believed to be from the French national police services'e elite counter-terrorism RAID (Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion) unit or the Groupes d’Intervention de la Police Nationale.
All up, about 150 separate raids have been carried out by police, according to French government officials. In addition to the rocket launcher, police have already seized automatic weapons and body armour.
The pre-dawn domestic operations come just hours after the French military carried out airstrikes in the ISIL-held Syrian city of Raqqa, where a dozen aircraft dropped 20 bombs on command and recruitment centres and an ammunition dump.
Some experts, however, have suggested the bombing is largely "symbolic", and spotters on the ground have not reported any major ISIL or civilian casualties.
In the meantime, French authorities are scrambling to find Abdesalam Salah, who is believed to have taken part in the Paris attacks that left 129 dead and close to 400 injured.
French police reportedly questioned Salah just hours after the deadly rampage, only to let him go.
It's believed the 26-year-old was travelling in the direction of the Belgian border; Belgium has issued a warrant for his arrest.
Suspected Paris attackers:
• Salah Abdeslam, 26 - sought by police
• Mohammed Abdeslam - reportedly arrested in Belgium
• Brahim Abdeslam, 31 – took part in the Bataclan concert hall
• Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, from near Paris - died in attack on Bataclan
• Bilal Hadfi, 20 – named as one of the attackers at Stade de France
• Ahmad Al Mohammad - blew himself up outside the Stade de France
• Samy Amimour, 28 - involved in the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall
• Four other gunmen killed during the attacks
WHAT WE KNOW:
• Three days after the attack the death toll stands at 129
Eight ISIS terrorists wielding AK-47s and wearing suicide belts carried out coordinated attacks at six sites around Paris Friday night, killing at least 127 people and wounding at least 180 others, France's president said Saturday.
Speaking after an emergency security meeting to plan his government's response, Francois Hollande declared three days of national mourning and raised France's security to its highest level. He described Friday's attacks, which produced the worst bloodshed in Paris since World War II, as an "act of war." Hollande said ISIS was "a terrorist army ... a jihadist army, against France, against the values that we defend everywhere in the world, against what we are: A free country that means something to the whole planet."
Hollande also vowed that France "will be merciless toward the barbarians of Islamic State group" and promised his government would "act by all means anywhere, inside or outside the country." France is already bombing ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition, and has troops fighting extremists in Africa.
Less than an hour after Hollande's statement, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement that described Paris as "the carrier of the banner of the Cross in Europe" and described the attackers as "eight brothers wrapped in explosive belts and armed with machine rifles."
"Let France and those who walk in its path know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the IS," the statement also read, in part, "and that the
smell of death will never leave their noses as long as they lead the convoy of the Crusader campaign."
French police said early Saturday they believed all of the attackers were dead but they were still searching for possible accomplices. The French prosecutor's office said seven of the eight assailants died in suicide bombings, the Associated Press reported.
Friday's attack was the deadliest terror atrocity to befall a Western European city since a series of train bombings in Madrid, Spain killed 191 people on March 11, 2004.
The most horrifying scene took place at the Bataclan concert hall near the center of Paris, where authorities said four attackers sprayed bullets into a crowd watching a performance by the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal. Reuters reported that the latest estimate from a Paris city hall official was that at least 87 people had died at the venue, though earlier reports suggested that as many as 118 concert-goers were killed.
The bloodshed prompted Hollande to declare a state of emergency, order the deployment of 1,500 troops around Paris and announce renewed border checks along frontiers that are normally open under Europe's free-travel zone.
The uncertain atmosphere in Paris was heightened by the city government's announcement that many of its public places would be closed Saturday. The city's official Twitter account posted a message saying "schools, museums, libraries, gyms, swimming pools, [and] public markets" would be among the metropolitan amenities shut down. Disneyland Paris, one of Europe's most popular attractions, announced that it would be closed Saturday "in light of the recent tragic events in France and in support of our community and the victims of these horrendous attacks."
The near-simultaneous assaults began at approximately 9:30 p.m. local time Friday (3:30 p.m. EST), when gunfire exploded outside of a restaurant in a trendy area east of the center of Paris known as Little Cambodia. It was the first of a series of attacks on a string of popular cafes, crowded on the unusually balmy Friday night. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters at least 37 people were killed in those shootings.
“There are lots of dead people," said a witness believed to have been at the bar of a restaurant that was the scene of one attack. "It’s pretty horrific to be honest. I was at the back of the bar. I couldn’t see anything. I heard gunshots. People dropped to the ground. We put a table over our heads to protect us."
A few moments later, three suicide bombs targeted locations around the Stade de France, the country's national stadium in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, where Hollande had joined almost 80,000 soccer fans to watch an international soccer friendly between France and Germany. A police union official told the Associated Press that at least three people were killed as a result of those blasts.
Hollande was rushed from the stadium after the first explosion, as initial reports of the attacks trickled in. However, the match was not stopped and several thousand fans went onto the field after France's 2-0 win, apparently believing it was the safest place in the midst of the unfolding terror. Supporters were eventually allowed to leave the stadium in small groups, and some were caught on video singing France's national anthem as they left the venue.
Four attackers then stormed the Bataclan, where concert-goers described a horrifying scene. Witnesses said the attackers toted Kalashnikovs and wore flak jackets as they fired indiscriminately into the crowd.Some survivors claimed the men shouted "Allahu Akbar" or "This is for Syria" as they fired.
Graphic video shot from an apartment balcony and posted on the Le Monde website Saturday captured some of that horror as dozens of people fled from gunfire outside the concert hall down a passageway to a side street.
At least one person lies writhing on the ground as scores more stream past, some of them bloodied or limping. The camera pans down the street to reveal more fleeing people dragging two bodies along the ground. Two other people can be seen hanging by her hands from upper-floor balcony railings in an apparent desperate bid to stay out of the line of fire.
“It looked like a battlefield, there was blood everywhere, there were bodies everywhere," Marc Coupris told the Guardian newspaper after being freed from the hostage situation. "I was at the far side of the hall when shooting began. There seemed to be at least two gunmen. They shot from the balcony.
“I saw my final hour unfurl before me, I thought this was the end. I thought, 'I’m finished, I’m finished,'" he said.
Sylvain, 38, collapsed in tears as he recounted the attack, the chaos, and his escape during a lull in gunfire. He spoke on condition that his full name not be used out of concern for his safety.
"I was watching the concert in the pit, in the midst of the mass of the audience," he told the Associated Press. "First I heard explosions, and I thought it was firecrackers."
"Very soon I smelled powder, and I understood what was happening. There were shots everywhere, in waves. I lay down on the floor. I saw at least two shooters, but I heard others talk. They cried, 'It's Hollande's fault.' I heard one of the shooters shout, 'Allahu Akbar'".
Sylvain was among dozens of survivors offered counseling and blankets in a municipal building set up as a crisis center.
The carnage inside the music venue ended around midnight local time when French police stormed the building. As police closed in, three detonated explosive belts, killing themselves, according to Paris police chief Michel Cadot. Another attacker detonated a suicide bomb on Boulevard Voltaire, near the music hall, the prosecutor's office said.
A U.S. military and intelligence source told Fox News the coordinated attacks likely required "months of planning," based on their sheer number, the locations including a site where the president was present and the variety of weapons used.
Asked if any Americans were hurt or killed, a French diplomat told Fox News that given the venues and the numbers involved, the victims “are not going to be all French.” The State Department said it was seeking to establish the whereabouts of 70 U.S. citizens known to be in France, but had not received word that any Americans had been killed in the attacks.
President Barack Obama, speaking to reporters in Washington, decried an "attack on all humanity," calling the Paris violence an "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians."
"This is an attack not just on Paris, not just on France, but an attack on all of humanity and the values that we share," Obama said.
A U.S. official briefed by the Justice Department says intelligence officials were not aware of any threats before Friday's attacks.
The violence raises questions about security for the millions of tourists who come to Paris — and for world events the French capital routinely hosts.
Some 80 heads of state, including possibly Obama, are expected for a critical climate summit in two weeks. In June, France is to host the European soccer championship — with the Stade de France a major venue.
And Paris-based UNESCO is expecting world leaders Monday for a forum about overcoming extremism. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani canceled a trip because of Friday's attacks. Hollande canceled a planned trip to this weekend's G-20 summit in Turkey.
The attacks spanned at least two Paris districts, the 10th and 11th arrondisements. The 10th arrondisement is a cosmopolitan district lined with restaurants and cafes. It also is the location of the two famed train stations Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est. The 11th arrondissement is located on the Right Bank of the River Seine and is one of the capital’s most populated urban districts, with nearly 150,000 residents. In recent years it also has emerged as one of the trendiest of the city's neighborhoods.
Terror struck in Paris near the same neighborhood earlier this year, when two Islamic radical gunmen stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 and wounding 11. The gunmen, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, struck to avenge Muslims for the magazine’s publication of cartoons that they believed mocked the Prophet Mohammed. The brothers were killed two days later after a manhunt was capped when police shot the two in a standoff in Dammartin-en-Goele.
During the dragnet, Amedy Coulibaly, an associate of the pair, attacked a Jewish grocery store in Paris, taking more than a dozen hostage and killing four. Coulibaly had killed a policewoman the day before. Couliably was killed when police stormed the kosher market
Allahuakbar.... Harap francis hollande segera cari penjenayah celaka yang huruhara kan penduduk bumi. saya jangka ni ala2 pemberontak breivik swedish hati tu. Ujung2 muslim juga yang kena fitnahnya.
Post time 14-11-2015 08:27 AMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Asal terrorist je Islam..terrorist jer Islam..apa ajaran/agama lain tak ada orang jahat/mental ke? Bodoh punya manusia sudah di brainwash yahudi laknat
Post time 14-11-2015 08:55 AMFrom the mobile phone|Show all posts
Takziah pda keluarga mangsa. Moga pelaku ni ditangkap.
Tapi aku heran.
Kalu nk kata isis us punya kerja, mana pi klip video 1080p? Bukan ke setiap kejadian kejam tu dibuat dlu kerja2 HD quality, cinematography taraf professional , pstu kibar bendera bagai,trngkn dlu motif,ideologi brula released ke public youtube?
Ni trus bunuh org. Nmpk sgt de yg nk burukn nama islam.
Post time 14-11-2015 07:45 AM
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