Westerners have been recruited as ISIS executioners

17 novembre 2014

3 min di lettura

(AGI) Rome, Nov 17 - Thousands of Europeans have joined theISIS jihadists to fight in Syria and Iraq, and there are morewho have directly been involved in the beheading of U.S.hostage Peter Kassig and 15 more Syrian soldiers. Among thesquad of executioners paid by the Islamic State, a youngFrenchman has been recognised by the government in Paris in thelatest video. The identity of a Welsh medical student disclosedon Monday by the Daily Mail and previously recognised by hisfather has now been retracted. This occurred the day after themacabre video was broadcast with many men's faces clearlyvisible. It proves the attractive impact ISIS has had on somany western young men allured by the holy war. Franceconfirmed on Monday that Maxime Hauchard, aged 22, was mostlikely part of the jihadist executioners. The French InteriorMinister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said that it is possible that "oneof the militia men behind the kneeling hostages is Hauchard,born in 1992 in a town in the department of Eure in Normandy.He went to Syria in August 2013 after some time spent inMauritania in 2012". The young man, who was born a Catholic butbecame a Muslim at 17, was being followed by the secretservices. During a Skype interview for Bfm TV in June, he saidhe was in the city of Raqqa and wanted "to die as a martyr". Hebecame a secret services target after his journey to Mauritaniabetween October 2012 and May 2013, where he had gone to improvehis religious education. When he returned to France along withthe growing legion of jihadist followers, he decided to go backto Syria. Transiting through Turkey on August 17, 2013, he saidhe wanted to participate in humanitarian actions. That was whenhe joined ISIS and became known as Abou Abdallah Al-Daransi.Intelligence sources informed that they are trying to identifyanother Frenchman seen in the video. The French prosecutor,Francois Molins, will give a press conference later on Monday.The other terrorist detected in the video was identified as20-year-old Nasser Muthana from Cardiff, Wales. His father atfirst said he was not sure that man was his son and added, "Nowhe must fear Allah for having murdered so many people. How canhe possibly think of facing Allah if he is destroying humanlives." He later backtracked from those initial statements,saying on the BBC, "This man's nose is bigger. My son's nose isdifferent." . .