“War is deceit,” said Muhammad, but French investigators apparently are unaware of the statement. Would Ayoub el-Khazzani try to foster complacency and ignorance among non-Muslims regarding the jihad threat by denying his true intentions? That possibility doesn’t seem to have entered the minds of French investigators. Ayoub el-Khazzani denies any terrorist intention, and that is evidently enough for them to give up any idea that this was a jihad terror attack and start hunting for his real motive.
This Bloomberg story contradicts information in earlier stories. It is impossible to tell right now which one is accurate, and that is what this whole question hinges upon. The Express reported that “a Spanish anti-terrorist official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed El Khazzani had lived in Spain until last year, moved to France then traveled to Syria where he is believed to have trained with ISIS before returning to France.” But now this story says that “there’s no hint of religious motive or affiliation to a radical organization in the 25-year-old Moroccan’s statements, according to to a French official with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because of government policy.”
So one anonymous official says that el-Khazzani trained with the Islamic State, and another anonymous official says he had no religious motive or affiliation. Which anonymous official is correct? No way to tell at this point.
“French Investigators Seek Motive as Gunman Denies Terrorism,” by Helene Fouquet and Marie Mawad, Bloomberg, August 23, 2015 (thanks to Larry):
French investigators are trying to figure out why gunman Ayoub El-Khazzani attacked a train headed to Paris as he denies links to terrorism despite police across Europe flagging him as a radical Islamist.
There’s no hint of religious motive or affiliation to a radical organization in the 25-year-old Moroccan’s statements, according to to a French official with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because of government policy. He’s being questioned near Paris after his attack on a train from Amsterdam was foiled Friday by passengers including U.S. soldiers on vacation. Police must hand the suspect off to the courts by Wednesday, the official said.
“He clearly had no training on using firearms, or he probably could’ve emptied eight rounds of ammo and we wouldn’t be here,” Alek Skarlatos, one of the American soldiers, said at a press conference Sunday in Paris. U.S. serviceman Spencer Stone said the attacker’s rifle had gotten jammed, which gave him and Skarlatos time to tackle and disarm the gunman.
France is seeking information from its European neighbors as well as Morocco and Turkey to help trace El-Khazzani’s movements since he was flagged by Spanish authorities in February 2014 as potentially dangerous and radicalized, the official said. In May, German officials informed authorities in France that the attacker was headed to Turkey, but whether he went there and whether he traveled to Syria is unclear, the official said.
Weapons SeizedEl-Khazzani denied going to Turkey or Syria, and said he’d traveled to Spain, Belgium, Austria, Germany and France in the past six months, his lawyer Sophie David told newspaper Le Parisien.
“He’s stunned that his actions are being described as terrorism,” David told BFM TV in a separate interview. She said the suspect, who spoke in Arabic, was homeless and had planned to hold train passengers for ransom. The attacker found the rifle and other weapons he was carrying near a park bench he’d been sleeping on in Brussels, the lawyer said.
French police seized a rifle, a handgun, ammunition, two mobile phones and a knife, but the attacker carried no identification or administrative documents, the French official said. Fingerprints helped identify him. Initial medical tests didn’t reveal any signs of alcohol or drug use by the suspect, the official said….

Stephanie says
What was it then?
Terror has NO frontline like wars. It can happen in supermarkets, kindergarten, hospitals, and as here in A TRAIN.
8:60 “… to strike TERROR into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah (‘UNbelievers’, 8:59)”
8:61 ‘peace’ ONY ‘with willing submission’ 9:29 to TERRORist#1 Allah
http://192.96.206.71/reza-aslan.html
Dr. Divinity says
It seems if they accomplish their goal l then they take credit but if they fall then it wasn’t jihad.
john spielman says
OK it wasn’t “terrorism” then. It was simply a normal muslim man on a train simply practicing islam and doing his duty to allah/Satan by attempting to kill as many dirty kuffirs as possible! There, you know!
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Exactly.
Jaladhi says
Oh, here we go again looking for a motive!! Are the French being advised by FBI – looks like that. These dumb people should read Quran – all Medina passages to find the motive, capice!!
Mary Lee Montez says
If it walks like a duck, etc.,etc. The difference between our guys and the koran morons is our guys save the innocents…their guys rape, torture, and murder the innocents.
Concerned Citizen says
If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck..then it’s a duck! Geez people!!! I’m assuming robbery is a lesser charge than terrorism, in which jail time is significantly reduced. How convenient to find an arsenal of weapons stowed in a park? How often does that happen, I wonder? (Being sarcastic, of course)
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
This presents a big problem to the French authorities. How do they get this guy off to avoid Moslem mass murder actions in retribution but at the same time not look like fools after all the positive global publicity given to the three American soldiers? Hmmm, a tough one. What they need to do is bring in a psycho-babble psychiatrist, or better yet a psychologist, to declare el-Khazzani clinically insane. Yeah, that’s a threadbare tire on which to roll such a game, but it’s a proven vehicle. What they do is roll Ayoub onto the stage in a wheelchair drooling into a Dixie Cup, and boom, it’s done. Crisis over. Until the next one.
Westman says
“Drooling into a dixie cup”? LOL. Great Image, Farmer.
Don’t forget the head bandages, neck brace, and an oxygen tank to show how those “mean” guys saved lives at great personal suffering to this innocent, temporarily insane, dumbfounded, terrorist.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Don’t forget the head bandages, neck brace, and an oxygen tank…
Now *that* would be a geeky scene, reminds me of my visit to the House of Freaks carnival sideshow I visited as a 9-yr old at the state fair. West, have you considered going into movie direction? Haa.
Westman says
That might be an interesting idea since I have a Face for Radio and a Voice for Print.
Angemon says
She said the suspect, who spoke in Arabic, was homeless and had planned to hold train passengers for ransom. The attacker found the rifle and other weapons he was carrying near a park bench he’d been sleeping on in Brussels, the lawyer said.
Hands up if you believe that. Hands up. Anyone buying that? Anyone? No one? Thought so.
gravenimage says
Now he’s saying that he planned to hold the Infidels hostage for ransom–before he was just saying he planned to rob them.
But in both scenarios–ugly as they are–his entering the train blazing away with a Kalashnikov makes no sense. The only way this makes sense is if he was planning on massacring the riders.
He’s also claimed that he “found” the automatic weapon and the Luger–anyone buy this? Odd, too, that he was able to afford these weapons, but was supposedly sleeping on a park bench…
Turbo says
I’m curious too, how was Al shish-kabobbie able to wander around with an AK47 in a backpack and onto a crowded train? Those generally don’t fold down that much, even the under folder. Not that concealable really I mean. And 8 mags of 7.62×39 is pretty heavy and bulky as well.
Westman says
Religious affiliation – 99.9% of Morrocans are Muslims
He had to be identified by fingerprints – no ID. No cooperation?
Homeless – was from a family that could have helped him and is shocked, shocked!
He had “found” weapons that he could readily sell – poverty requiring robbery?
He shot and cut victims.
The only difference one can detect that makes him different than a terrorist is he didn’t yell Allahu Akbar!
The Muda’rat is flowing like a river.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Homeless
Nobody’s homeless in France, except maybe a few dozen down and out drunks who ain’t been carted away to jail yet. France is a socialist country, that’s why its economy has been in a “recession” for decades now.
Paul says
You can always look at the koran and the hadiths and what is
spewed out in mosques each week to understand this perfectly.
However, I strongly suspect that the investigators won’t pursue
this line of enquiry and will instead be searching places from top
to bottom with magnifying glasses searching for “motives”. Good
luck with your fruitless efforts.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
However, I strongly suspect that the investigators won’t pursue
this line of enquiry and will instead be searching places from top
to bottom with magnifying glasses searching for “motives”.
Nobody wants their career to end, we all have mouths to feed. This is the power of Islam, one of the world’s great religions one of the three Abrahamic faiths. Praise Allah and Allahu Akbar.
Paul says
I know you’re being sarcastic, but the worst thing is that
much of that sounds a lot like something which would come
straight out of the mouth of some dhimmified and well paid-off
politician – normally straight after an horrific jihadi outrage that
has claimed many innocent lives.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
How many dead bodies of innocent people does it take to make an attack a terrorist attack?
We already know that number, silly: 2,996.
Kasey says
When parts of the Koran are obviously sections of a lethal and discriminatory terror manual, what other motives does this terrorist need to undertake his actions?
Steph says
“He’s stunned that his actions are being described as terrorism,”
Does he think the passengers were relaxed about his loading his K-47 …
8 cassettes full of bullets sound pretty relaxing to me ..
Westman says
My wife and I were watching the NBC nightly news when, in connection with the French train shooting, the reporter said, “we don’t know the (motive) ….. ” and we both started laughing before she went any further. My wife has never read JWatch or any other jihad information and even she was amused at how stupid all this Islamophile PC sounds.
Sam says
Somehow, Moslems made it so that Islam can never be criticized. You have to give them credit. It is really surreal that, all over the world, Islam can not be blamed despite the disaster it causes everywhere. INSANE!!
Edgar Allen says
Nobody is more blind than he who does not want to see.
Old French proverb.
Tom W Harris says
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/57930873.jpg
Baucent says
If French authorities make the unlikely claim that the Jihadi was just an “armed robber”, they have to explain the presentation of the Legion of Honor medals to the four heroes. Not usually awarded to those who nab a robber.
Jon says
He wouldn’t have to be Einstein to realise that he’d probably cop a far lesser jail term for an unsuccessful holdup attempt than a terrorist-planned massacre. I hope the judge isn’t too soft-headed. Why would a simple robber be carrying all those clips loaded with 300 rounds?
mike says
Are French investigators really that Fing stupid?
ProblemChild says
Unbelievable. It would be funny if it wasn’t happening over and over with the MSM and our leaders.
I fear I know where this will all end – with an Islamic State everywhere on the globe including the USA. What can the ordinary person do about this – to stop it? Our leaders seem hapless and hopeless. I sincerely fear for the future for my family.
Is this what it was like when Hitler took over and people were too blind to see what he and his followers were and made excuses for them? These Muslims have animosity not only towards Jews but towards every other religion or nonreligious people.
I am sincerely afraid for the future of our weak democracies. Will we fight back this time? Can we with a fifth column in every country?
Truth says
Silly France, Muslims are permitted to lie to non-muslims, don’t trust them.
Enfant Terrible says
“The attacker found the rifle and other weapons he was carrying near a park bench he’d been sleeping on in Brussels, the lawyer said.” – I hope Inspector Jacques Clouseau finds the person who forgot his weapons in that park. He/she – maybe another homeless person – could verify the suspect’s story.
Sam says
“French investigators seek motive as jihad gunman denies terrorism” I know what the motive is: He was having financial problems coupled with being discriminated as a poor Moslem. So what do you expect: he had to arm himself and kill some innocent people and himself. That is very logical to me. Islam has nothing to do with it.
Richard says
Terrorism or at least mass murder. An AK with several loaded magazines, guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Vicky says
Cheese eating surrender monkeys whose jungle was overthrown by jihadists long ago. They live at the pleasure of muslims.
lacey says
motive ,who needs a motive these days.it sounds this idiot was made belive he would meet a fue vergins .instead he will have to pull his pudding for a while ,