French warplanes pounded Islamic State’s Syrian stronghold Sunday in retaliation for a wave of coordinated attacks claimed by the jihadists, which left 129 people dead in Paris.
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Slovak prime minister Robert Fico pointed to Muslims in his country as a potential threat on Monday and said his government was “monitoring” its community in the wake of the Paris attacks.
The officials also said that a sleeper cell in France then met with the attackers after their training and helped them to execute the plan.
The report, citing European media, called Abaaoud the purported leader of the Belgian plotters and said he directed operations from a safehouse in Athens using a cell phone, possibly in a bid to hide his involvement.
“We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too”, he said.
In Baghdad, Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Iraqi intelligence had obtained information that the Islamic State was planning an imminent terrorist attack overseas that could target “in particular” France, the United States, and Iran.
The IS group, also known as Daesh, claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday.
According to Le Monde, Ibrahim Abdeslam rented the black Seat auto that authorities say was used in the string of deadly attacks on restaurants and bars on Friday.
Police has proceeded in seven arrests in Belgium and has identified three suspected terrorists who resided in Brussels.
Speaking on Monday afternoon, French president Francois Hollande said France was at war against cowards, and not in a clash of civilisations. For their part, Greek and Serbian authorities confirmed the passport had been issued to a man who’d registered as a refugee in October on the island of Leros and applied for asylum in Serbia a few days later. Another brother, Mohammed, was detained by Belgian police but released without charge Monday.
Overnight, France launched its heaviest airstrikes yet on the Islamic State group’s de-facto capital in Syria, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said “we are at war” against terrorism.
An attacker who blew himself up outside the national soccer stadium was found with a Syrian passport with the name Ahmad Al Mohammad, a 25-year-old born in Idlib, the prosecutor’s office said.
The Turkish official said Mostefai entered Turkey in 2013 but authorities have no record of him leaving. “That’s what struck me: his childish face, very determined, cold, calm, frightening”, Pearce said.
The heavily armed gunmen wearing explosives vests opened fire on crowds enjoying a Friday night at outdoor cafes and at the Bataclan concert hall, scene of the worst carnage where 89 people were killed as they watched a gig by the Eagles of Death Metal group. French troops have deployed by the thousands and tourist sites were closed in one of the most visited cities on Earth.
But in a sign of just how shaken people are, the sound of fire-crackers at Place de la Republique, where mourners were standing in quiet solidarity, sent scores fleeing in panic before they realised it was a false alarm. “Whoever starts running starts everyone else running”, said a city councilwoman, Alice Carton, who was at the square.
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Sarkozy also said all people coming back from Iraq and Syria should be “put in prison” or expelled if they have double citizenship.
