Islamist in video 'grew up in a French village'
One of three Islamists seen burning French passports in an Islamic State propaganda video last week grew up in a small village in southern France, the mayor said.
One of three Islamists seen burning French passports in an Islamic State propaganda video last week grew up in a small village in southern France, the mayor said.
The man, 26, who uses the name Abou Ossama al-Faranci in the internet video, left the village of 1,400 people five years ago, residents told La Depeche du Midi.
Serge Lafon, the mayor of Labastide-Rouairoux, said that many villagers knew and recognised him.
“They are quite sure and there has been no denial by relatives or anyone so there is a 99 per cent chance it is him,” Lafon said.
The bearded, blue-eyed man seen in the footage urging Muslims to stage attacks in France was reported to have gone to school in the village and have converted to Islam, studying the Koran in a Muslim centre in a private home.
La Depeche du Midi said the man was thought to be married with two children. After moving to the southern city of Toulouse, he “left for Syria... about a year ago”, it said.
French prosecutors on Thursday opened an investigation into the video showing the three Frenchmen. A source close to the inquiry said the trio had been identified.
A week ago another Frenchman, Maxime Hauchard, 22, appeared in a grisly IS execution video.
About 1,000 people from a wide range of backgrounds have left France to join jihadis in Iraq and Syria, with about 375 there at present.
In all, 3,000 Europeans are believed to have left their homes to fight on those fronts, according to the European Union’s anti-terrorist coordinator.
