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The suspect in a stabbing last week near the former office of Charlie Hebdo showed interest in a hard-line Islamic group, authorities say.
French firefighters push a gurney carrying an injured person after a knife attack near the former offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, last week.Credit...Alain Jocard/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Aurelien Breeden
Jean-François Ricard, the top antiterrorism prosecutor, said at a news conference that the video showed the suspect, Zaher Hassan Mahmood, 25, weeping and denouncing the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Mr. Ricard said Mr. Mahmood had told investigators that he had searched online for the address for Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper whose office was attacked in January 2015, and scouted the area, but had not realized that they moved. He had initially planned to set the former newspaper’s offices on fire, Mr. Ricard said, adding that the police found several bottles of turpentine in his bag.
But Mr. Mahmood changed his mind when he saw two people smoking outside the building near a mural paying tribute to those killed in 2015, Mr. Ricard said. Thinking they were employees of the newspaper, he lunged at them with a meat cleaver. The “extremely violent” attack, caught on surveillance cameras, lasted only 20 seconds, Mr. Ricard said.
Last week’s attack, which came during an ongoing trial for several people linked to the January 2015 killings, brought fears of terrorism back to the surface in France. In recent years, the threats have evolved — from large-scale, organized plots, like the November 2015 attacks in Paris, in which more than 100 were killed, to isolated acts that are harder to predict and prevent.
Mr. Ricard said that Mr. Mahmood, who is from Pakistan and who had never been flagged by French intelligence agencies in the past, had no prior convictions.
French authorities had previously identified the man as an 18-year-old based on statements he gave to the police, but on his phone investigators found a picture of his passport identifying him as 25. Mr. Ricard declined to comment when asked if Pakistani authorities had confirmed Mr. Mahmood’s identity.
Mr. Mahmood was expected to be charged with attempted murder and criminal conspiracy, both on aggravated counts of terrorism, Mr. Ricard said.
Nine people associated with Mr. Mahmood who were taken into police custody after the attack have been released without charges. Investigators said they provided insights into his actions ahead of the attack. Those associates reported that Mr. Mahmood repeatedly watched videos featuring the founder of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a hard-line Islamic group that organized several demonstrations in Pakistan earlier this month after Charlie Hebdo republished cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, investigators said.
www.nytimes.com
French firefighters push a gurney carrying an injured person after a knife attack near the former offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, last week.Credit...Alain Jocard/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
By Aurelien Breeden
- Published Sept. 29, 2020Updated Sept. 30, 2020, 12:37 a.m. ET
Jean-François Ricard, the top antiterrorism prosecutor, said at a news conference that the video showed the suspect, Zaher Hassan Mahmood, 25, weeping and denouncing the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Mr. Ricard said Mr. Mahmood had told investigators that he had searched online for the address for Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper whose office was attacked in January 2015, and scouted the area, but had not realized that they moved. He had initially planned to set the former newspaper’s offices on fire, Mr. Ricard said, adding that the police found several bottles of turpentine in his bag.
But Mr. Mahmood changed his mind when he saw two people smoking outside the building near a mural paying tribute to those killed in 2015, Mr. Ricard said. Thinking they were employees of the newspaper, he lunged at them with a meat cleaver. The “extremely violent” attack, caught on surveillance cameras, lasted only 20 seconds, Mr. Ricard said.
Last week’s attack, which came during an ongoing trial for several people linked to the January 2015 killings, brought fears of terrorism back to the surface in France. In recent years, the threats have evolved — from large-scale, organized plots, like the November 2015 attacks in Paris, in which more than 100 were killed, to isolated acts that are harder to predict and prevent.
Mr. Ricard said that Mr. Mahmood, who is from Pakistan and who had never been flagged by French intelligence agencies in the past, had no prior convictions.
French authorities had previously identified the man as an 18-year-old based on statements he gave to the police, but on his phone investigators found a picture of his passport identifying him as 25. Mr. Ricard declined to comment when asked if Pakistani authorities had confirmed Mr. Mahmood’s identity.
Mr. Mahmood was expected to be charged with attempted murder and criminal conspiracy, both on aggravated counts of terrorism, Mr. Ricard said.
Nine people associated with Mr. Mahmood who were taken into police custody after the attack have been released without charges. Investigators said they provided insights into his actions ahead of the attack. Those associates reported that Mr. Mahmood repeatedly watched videos featuring the founder of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a hard-line Islamic group that organized several demonstrations in Pakistan earlier this month after Charlie Hebdo republished cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, investigators said.
Paris Attack Suspect Wanted to Target Charlie Hebdo With Arson (Published 2020)
The suspect in a stabbing last week near the former office of Charlie Hebdo showed interest in a hard-line Islamic group, authorities say.
