France stabber had ties to Jihadist group, planned a 'hit list' of targets
Born in France of Moroccan origin, Larossi Abballa, 25, had been under surveillance by French authorities as part of an investigation into a Syrian Jihadi cell.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERSUpdated: JUNE 14, 2016 19:58French spolice stop and search a local resident as shots are exchanged in Saint-Denis, France, near Paris(photo credit: REUTERS)
The suspect in the deadly stabbing of a policeman in Paris had been sentenced for Islamist ties and reportedly had a "hit list" targeting several well known people.Police found at the murder site a list of other potential targets that included the names of rappers, journalists, police officers and other public figures, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said, without giving their names.Police also found three telephones, three knives, one of which was "bloodied, lying on the table, Molins said in a press conference.The knifeman who killed a French police commander and his partner at their home on Monday had recently pledged allegiance to the head of the Islamic State.The attacker told police negotiators before he was killed in a raid on the house that he had answered a recent appeal by Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "to kill unbelievers in their homes, together with their families," Molins said.Three people were held for questioning in relation to the crime, Molin added.Born in France of Moroccan origin, Larossi Abballa, 25, had been under surveillance by French authorities since January, said Molins, as part of an investigation into a Syrian Jihadi cell. Molins emphasized that there was no indication from the wiretap that Abdalla was planning an attack.Abballa was sentenced in 2013 to two and half years in jail due to his connections to a Jihadi group with links to Pakistan. He was freed after serving his sentence and was awaiting trial.