The alleged ISIS operative who knifed to death a police couple at their home near Paris on Monday had a “hit list” of VIPs, police and rappers, the Paris prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The assailant, 25-year-old Larossi Abballa, had pledged allegiance to the ISIS three weeks ago, he added.
Also Read: French Couple’s Stabbing Was an Act of Terror: Francois Hollande
The Islamic State’s Amaq news agency had on Monday confirmed Abballa’s allegiance, claiming responsibility for the attack.
The attacker killed the 42-year-old commander before barricading himself inside the officer’s house. He was shot dead by members of an elite police unit after negotiations failed.
He also posted a Facebook video from the scene of the murders calling for further strikes during the Euro 2016 championships.
Interior Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment, while a judicial source said the investigation had been handed to anti-terrorism unit of the prosecutor’s office.
Source to Amaq agency: Islamic State fighter kills deputy chief of the police station in the city of Les Mureaux and his wife.Amaq
If ISIS is in indeed behind the murders, it would be the first militant strike on French soil since the government imposed a state of emergency after the multiple attacks on Paris in November that killed 130 people.
A three-year-old boy was rescued unharmed when commandos from the RAID police unit stormed the house.
“We have no certainty about the attacker’s motivations,” prosecutor Vincent Lesclous said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)