Their comments, confirming excerpts from a confidential police witness statement leaked to a French magazine this week, fleshed out a picture of the Islamic State militant who spearheaded the November 13 attacks targeting cafes, a concert hall and sports stadium in Paris in which 130 people were killed.
Advertisement
Those sentiments were echoed across the city as Hollande paid tribute to this month’s victims at a ceremony attended by their families and attack survivors. In a poignant but defiant speech, French President Francois Hollande vowed to destroy ISIS.
The French leader this week completed a whirlwind diplomatic tour in an attempt to build a tougher worldwide force to fight Islamic State, which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria.
“I solemnly promise you all that France will do everything to defeat the army of fanatics who have committed these crimes, that she will act tirelessly to protect her children”, said Holland. The sister of Francois-Xavier Provost, who died in the attacks, lambasted Francois Hollande on her Facebook page for not having shored up internal security in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris last January.
Stuttgart prosecutors said Friday the man, whose name was not given in line with privacy laws, is accused of converting legal starter pistols to fire live ammunition and selling them on the Internet, the dpa news agency reported. As the names were read, a stone-faced Hollande sat alone in a simple, hard-backed chair, the crowd of mourners looking on silently from the courtyard behind him.
Mr Hollande made a 20-minute address at the memorial about “hordes of assassins” and “army of fanatics” that attacked his country for a mad cause, in an act of war, and silenced 130 voices that represented France and freedom and 17 other countries that will never be heard again.
“I have confidence in the generation to come”.
An global manhunt is still on for two key suspects in the attacks – Salah Abdeslam, who played a key logistical role in the wave of terror, and Mohamed Abrini, seen with Abdeslam two days before the November 13 atrocities.
The President vowed that France will not stop holding more music, sporting events and concerts. They wanted to silence our joy with explosions.
“Because we are a single and unified nation with the same values”.
Most of the victims were young people enjoying a night out when they were cut down in one of Europe’s worst terrorist attacks.
Advertisement
“We understand that in this very specific, exceptional context, such measures can be put into place for a very specific duration of time”, said Nicolas Krameyer, head of Amnesty International France’s free-expression program.
