Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 14 May 2018

French police question parents, friend of Paris attacker

By ELAINE GANLEY thorities of France," Chech-
PARIS (AP) — Investiga- en President Ramzan Kady-
tors are following the trail rov said. "He was only born
of a 20-year-old French- in Chechnya, and his grow-
man born in Chechnya ing up, the formation of his
who rampaged through personality, his views and
a festive Paris neighbor- persuasions occurred in
hood slashing passers-by French society."
with a knife, raising anew France has counted the
the specter of terrorism in most foreign fighters in Syria
France after less than two and Iraq of all European
months of calm. nations, many — but not all
Using a knife, the man — of North African origin.
identified as Khamzat Azi- At home, IS sympathizers
mov killed one person and have killed more than 200
wounded four others in people in France in recent
a festive area near Paris' years — 130 in an attack
old opera house. Police on revelers in 2015. The last
shot him to death as he attack occurred in March
charged them, witnesses near the touristic south-
said. Less than 24 hours lat- ern town of Carcassonne
er, investigators were ques- where an extremist with a
tioning three people — his Scientific police officers investigate after a knife attack in central Paris, Saturday May 12, 2018. gun killed three people, two
parents and a friend. Associated Press in a supermarket, including
The Islamic State group an officer who exchanged
quickly claimed responsi- video, which could not be wasn't clear if the suspect nier. himself for a hostage.
bility for the Saturday night independently authenti- moved to Paris with his The assailant obtained Like the Carcassonne kill-
attack via its Aamaq news cated. The young man's parents. Counterterrorism French nationality in 2010, er, the Paris assailant was
agency, saying Azimov face is covered, except for investigators want to know the Interior Ministry spokes- listed in a nationwide da-
was their "soldier" acting his eyes, with a black ban- if the assailant had help man said. He was born tabase of thousands of
in response to the group's danna and the hood of his or co-conspirators. The at- in November 1997 in the people suspected of links
calls for supporters to tar- coat. The video was made tacker killed a 29-year-old largely Muslim Russian re- to radicalism, according to
get members of the U.S.- outside amid trees and fall- man and wounded four public of Chechnya, where the judicial official. Extrem-
led anti-IS military coalition, ing rain. French authorities other people, one from extremism has long sim- ists behind multiple attacks
a stock response. France's had no comment. Luxembourg, before police mered. Chechens have in France in recent years
military has been active in Police detained Azimov's fatally shot him. been among the numer- have turned out to be on
the coalition since 2014. parents in the northern 18th The suspect was on a po- ous foreign fighters in Syria the watch list.
On Sunday, Aamaq re- district of Paris and held a lice watch list for radical- and Iraq, some joining the The attacker targeted five
leased a posthumous friend from Strasbourg in ism, a judicial official not Islamic State cause early in people and then fled, ac-
video said to show the at- that city on the border with authorized to speak pub- the fighting. cording to Paris police and
tacker calling on Muslims Germany in eastern France, licly about the case told Chechnya's president a witness. When police of-
in Europe to "take action French officials said. The The Associated Press. But weighed in after the ram- ficers arrived minutes later,
in the land of disbelievers" friend was detained Sun- he had a clean criminal page, perhaps striking a he threatened them and
if they can't travel to the day afternoon. record and did not know nerve by insisting Sunday was shot dead. Several wit-
crumbling caliphate in Iraq A security official said inves- his victims, Interior Minis- that France bears respon- nesses said the attacker
and Syria, which has been tigators searched the Paris try spokesman Frederic de sibility for the knifings. He ran directly toward police.
pounded by coalition forc- residence of the parents. Lanouvelle said. said Azimov held a Russian "I was working in the restau-
es. The man said French cit- The official wasn't autho- Witnesses reported hearing passport only until he was rant and suddenly I heard
izens should pressure their rized to speak about the the man shouting "Allahu 14 years old. "I consider it a woman screaming ... he
government "if you want it investigation and insisted akbar," the Arabic phrase necessary to state that all came and attacked her,"
(attacks) to end." on not being quoted by for "God is great," during responsibility for the fact recalled Jonathan, a wit-
SITE Intelligence Group, name. French media re- the attack that happened that Khamzat Azimov went ness working nearby who
which monitors jihadi pro- ported that the family had at about 9 p.m. in a lively on the road of crime lies wouldn't provide his last
paganda, obtained the lived in Strasbourg, and it area near the Opera Gar- completely with the au- name.q