“El Khazzani, who went from drug-trafficking in Spain to Syria as a jihadi” and then apparently into France with no problem. Why was he let in? Why wasn’t he adequately vetted? The answer is always the same: probing questions posed to such people returning from Syria would have been seen as “Islamophobic” and deep-sixed. “French […]
Spanish authorities warned French about train jihadi in 2014; he also attended mosque known for “radical preaching”
Spain warned France about him in February 2014, but in August 2015 he was able to board a train with a Kalashnikov, a handgun and a box-cutter. What’s wrong with this picture? “Scrutiny Falls on a Spanish Mosque After Foiled Train Attack,” by Raphael Minder, New York Times, August 27, 2015: ALGECIRAS, Spain — Before […]
France jihadi’s brother: He’s not terrorist, “We are Muslims. We respect people.”
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.” And he viewed a jihad video shortly before the attack. So […]
France train gunman watched jihad video before boarding
This isn’t getting the media play that the jihadi’s claim that he was just trying to rob passengers got. Hmmm. Now, why is that? “Train Attack Suspect Watched Jihad Video Before Boarding,” Suffield Times, August 25, 2015 (thanks to Pamela Geller): The armed man accused of attacking an Amsterdam-to-Paris practice final week watched a video […]
French prosecutor says train jihadi had “terrorist intent”
“Mr. Molins added that Mr. El Khazzani had watched a jihadi video on YouTube.” It is refreshing that the French authorities don’t seem to be buying El Khazzani’s nonsense about this being a failed robbery after all. “Train gunman thwarted by Americans had ‘terrorist intent,’ French prosecutor,” by Kellan Howell, The Washington Times, August 25, […]
French investigators seek motive as jihad gunman denies terrorism
“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 […]
Robert Spencer in FP: France Train Jihadi ‘Dumbfounded’ to Be Accused of Terrorism
It was just your ordinary robbery attempt, you see, with a Kalashnikov. My latest in FrontPage: It is a recurring and increasingly ridiculous feature of jihad terror coverage: every time a Muslim screaming “Allahu akbar” plants a bomb or opens fire on a crowd of infidels, mainstream media coverage notes that “the attacker’s motive is […]
France train attack shows impossibility of tracking all Islamic jihadis
There are many more Islamic jihadis than authorities like to admit, as they like to pretend that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam, and to ignore and downplay the appeal that the Islamic State has for so many young Muslims in the West. Certainly the Islamic State is trying to overwhelm law […]
France train jihadi was “very devout” Muslim, father shocked by attack
His father is shocked! shocked! that his boy could have done such a thing, but a neighbor gives a clue: “He and his brother were very devout; they dressed like Afghans and all that, but I can’t believe this.” Then there is the local mosque where he was a “regular.” Has anyone looked into what […]
France train jihadi who trained in Islamic State “dumbfounded” by terror accusations
War is deceit, said Muhammad, and it looks as if Ayoub El Khazzani has taken those words to heart. He says he just happened upon a rifle (what a surprise!) and decided to commit a robbery, which apparently he planned to do by shooting people first and then leisurely relieving the corpses of their valuables. […]