The third assailant who terrorized Paris's Bataclan concert hall before being killed by police has been identified as a Frenchman who left for Syria in 2013, two French officials said yesterday, heightening fears of what increasingly appears to be an entirely homegrown European plot.
Foued Mohamed-Aggad left the city of Strasbourg for Syria in late 2013, a French judicial official said, at a time when a group of about a dozen young men also left the city for the war zone. Some returned by their own will – including the killer's brother – who told investigators they were disgusted by what they had seen. Mourad Fares, the French citizen who is believed to have recruited the Frenchmen, is also under arrest. All are charged with terror-related offenses and will face trial. Officials spoke under the condition of anonymity as the investigation is ongoing.
"What is important is that the investigation moves forward, that the accomplices are found and that arrests happen," French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said yesterday. "This will all take time and, in the face of the terrorist threat that is unfortunately here, we need to carry on with the work of tracking down terrorists because we are at war with DAESH," he said.
So far, all of the Nov. 13 attackers identified by officials are native French speakers from either France or Belgium, who joined DAESH extremists in Syria. The Bataclan attackers, who carried automatic weapons and wore suicide vests, were responsible for the worst of the carnage. Nearly three-quarters of the 130 people killed in Paris that night died at the concert venue.
The other two attackers, Omar Ismail Mostefai and Samy Amimour, were also French. Two of the three gunmen detonated their explosives when police Special Forces moved in, while the third was shot by an officer, causing his explosives to go off.
French police are still faced with the arduous task of identifying the bodies of the deceased. One of the attackers, who was killed Nov. 18 in a police raid on a hideout, still remains unidentified. Two of the suicide bombers at the French national stadium carried Syrian passports that are believed to be fake. The attackers who struck the city that night included three suicide bombers at the stadium, a squad of commandos who shot up bars and restaurants, a suicide bomber at a restaurant and the three gunmen at the Bataclan.
On Nov. 13, France was hit by its worst terror attack since World War II. At least 130 people died, and more than 350 were wounded, with dozens still in critical condition. Europe grew increasingly alarmed after the attacks, implementing extra security measures and re-instating border checks at the internal borders of the EU, which may also put Schengen at risk and make it harder for refugees to seek a safe haven after fleeing violence to reach European countries.
After the attacks, the French Parliament extended a 12-day state of emergency to a further three months and President Hollande gave police the extrajudicial power to search homes, detain suspects and block websites. According to recent reports by the Le Monde newspaper, the French government is planning to submit bills which will allow the time limit on state of emergency declarations to be extended to up to six months, citing government papers. The bills propose giving greater authority to intelligence agencies and extending government control over the Internet, including the blockage of free and shared Wi-Fi and virtual private networks, which are more difficult to monitor.
The Human Rights Watch organization said the proposed legislation interferes with the freedom of movement, privacy, association and expression. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve also announced the closure of mosques and prayer rooms for the first time in a decade.
