November 19, 2015 6:57 pm
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the 28-year-old Belgian jihadi said to have plotted the attacks in the French capital last week — and previously thought to be operating from Isis’s territories in Syria — died during a seven-hour siege in Saint-Denis on Wednesday, authorities said.
“If Abaaoud has been able to travel from Syria to France, it means that there are failings in the whole European system,” said Laurent Fabius, foreign minister.
A senior European intelligence official said the attacks had raised a host of serious questions for him and his colleagues at other agencies.
Among the issues they say are responsible for the lack of intelligence on the complex attack, in which eight jihadis killed 129 people across Paris, is the use of encrypted communications and “extremely diligent” operational security measures between Abaaoud and others in the terror cell responsible.
“Finding Abaaoud in France and not in Syria means that all our European systems of alerts have failed completely,” Jean-Charles Brisard, a consultant on terrorism said. “It’s a huge collective failure.”
Abaaoud was connected with four of six attempted Isis attacks in France since the spring that had occurred before Friday’s massacres in Paris, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. The plots shared identical modus operandi, he added: “Overseas planning of violent actions perpetrated by jihadists from European countries who have been trained to handle weapons to carry out attacks.”
France is demanding that Brussels and the European Parliament “get a grip” on the security threats facing the bloc by allowing tighter border checks and removing barriers to sharing airline passenger data.
EU home affairs ministers meeting in Brussels today are preparing to reprise a series of demands — first made after January’s Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris — to close loopholes in the passport-free Schengen zone’s security arrangements.
French spymasters were unaware that Abaaoud had returned to Europe until a foreign intelligence service tipped them off that the jihadi had recently been spotted in Greece.
Further information was gleaned on Monday that he could be on French soil, allowing authorities eventually to track him down to an apartment in Saint-Denis, a suburb of the capital.
The police operation in Saint-Denis resulted in the deaths of at least two people. One was soon identified as a female suicide bomber, but the other was believed to have been hit by grenade fragments, making his mangled body difficult to identify until forensic experts were called in. Abaaoud’s identity was eventually confirmed using a fingerprint.
“If Abaaoud has been able to travel from Syria to France, it means that there are failings in the whole European system,” said Laurent Fabius, foreign minister.
A senior European intelligence official said the attacks had raised a host of serious questions for him and his colleagues at other agencies.
Among the issues they say are responsible for the lack of intelligence on the complex attack, in which eight jihadis killed 129 people across Paris, is the use of encrypted communications and “extremely diligent” operational security measures between Abaaoud and others in the terror cell responsible.
“Finding Abaaoud in France and not in Syria means that all our European systems of alerts have failed completely,” Jean-Charles Brisard, a consultant on terrorism said. “It’s a huge collective failure.”
Abaaoud was connected with four of six attempted Isis attacks in France since the spring that had occurred before Friday’s massacres in Paris, interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. The plots shared identical modus operandi, he added: “Overseas planning of violent actions perpetrated by jihadists from European countries who have been trained to handle weapons to carry out attacks.”
France is demanding that Brussels and the European Parliament “get a grip” on the security threats facing the bloc by allowing tighter border checks and removing barriers to sharing airline passenger data.
EU home affairs ministers meeting in Brussels today are preparing to reprise a series of demands — first made after January’s Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris — to close loopholes in the passport-free Schengen zone’s security arrangements.
French spymasters were unaware that Abaaoud had returned to Europe until a foreign intelligence service tipped them off that the jihadi had recently been spotted in Greece.
Further information was gleaned on Monday that he could be on French soil, allowing authorities eventually to track him down to an apartment in Saint-Denis, a suburb of the capital.
The police operation in Saint-Denis resulted in the deaths of at least two people. One was soon identified as a female suicide bomber, but the other was believed to have been hit by grenade fragments, making his mangled body difficult to identify until forensic experts were called in. Abaaoud’s identity was eventually confirmed using a fingerprint.
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind of atrocity
Belgian was a familiar name to security services
Could Paris atrocity have been thwarted?
Gaps in the system appear to have kept intelligence agencies from uncovering the plot
What we know about the terrorists
Names and faces are gradually emerging of those thought to be involved in the terror attacks
For further coverage on the Paris attacks click here
Much of Europe remains on high alert following the attacks in France, where the government has already authorised the distribution of a nerve gas antidote to medical centres.
Details emerging about the plot behind the Paris attacks have underlined the inability of police and intelligence services to track European jihadis returning from Syria. Six of the seven Paris attackers identified so far spent time in Syria.
Belgian authorities were tipped off in August that another of the Paris attackers, Bilal Hadfi, had returned to Belgium from the country. They issued an arrest warrant but were unable to locate him.
Belgian police arrested two people on Thursday and took seven more in for questioning after raids in Brussels in connection with Hadfi’s involvement.
French police carried out nationwide raids on Thursday as they sought possible associates of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, the female suicide bomber. She is believed to be Abaaoud’s cousin.
Police forces across Europe are still looking for Salah Abdeslam, one of two brothers involved in Friday’s attacks. He fled to Belgium and has since disappeared.
Much of Europe remains on high alert following the attacks in France, where the government has already authorised the distribution of a nerve gas antidote to medical centres.
Details emerging about the plot behind the Paris attacks have underlined the inability of police and intelligence services to track European jihadis returning from Syria. Six of the seven Paris attackers identified so far spent time in Syria.
Belgian authorities were tipped off in August that another of the Paris attackers, Bilal Hadfi, had returned to Belgium from the country. They issued an arrest warrant but were unable to locate him.
Belgian police arrested two people on Thursday and took seven more in for questioning after raids in Brussels in connection with Hadfi’s involvement.
French police carried out nationwide raids on Thursday as they sought possible associates of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, the female suicide bomber. She is believed to be Abaaoud’s cousin.
Police forces across Europe are still looking for Salah Abdeslam, one of two brothers involved in Friday’s attacks. He fled to Belgium and has since disappeared.